IZanAGi
by WATCHER89
Summary: Who were they? A Failed Hero? An Unsung Hero? A True Hero? A Fallen Hero? Now in this world of Remnant what will Fate bestow upon them? Or will they change the course of Fate in this new world? A Multi Cross x Over.
1. Unlikely Union

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except this fanfiction. All of it belong to their respective owners.**

 **X-X**

It was already late in the morning when he woke up. Faint rays of sunlight peeped into the room through the white curtains that covered the windows. A few of it fell on his face highlighting his eyes, which evinced the sorrow he felt in his heart.

It was one of those days where he was waken up as a result of the terrible nightmares of his past. Even after all these years, those memories still haunted him. He never knew what had become of everyone. His friends and family. Where were they?

Deep inside he believed he was not a hero and could never become one. He never relished the thought of combat. All he desired was a peaceful world where everyone could live in harmony.

"So, you are awake?" A familiar voice scored his train of thoughts. He turned to his right to see his raven haired friend with an apron on his waist.

"So, today you are responsible for cooking?" He smiled at his dear friend.

"Yes and so you better not be late or the other two would gladly finish your share."

He smiled at that comment. "I'll be right there." He affirmed.

But that was not the truth. In all honesty, he did not want to move from where he was. He just wanted to be lost in his thoughts. In days like these, they mollified his mind more than anything could. In days like these, he would reflect upon his past and the decisions he made. And the questioned that always seemed to haunt him. Did he do the right thing?

"One of those days, huh?" His raven haired friend was watching him closely. He knew that during times like these, he was best left alone to reflect upon things. Without awaiting for a reply, he gently closed the door and left him to his own thoughts.

Was he right in doing that? These always haunted him whenever the memories of those days came flooding back. Constantly, he hoped that he could find that elusive answer to his queries.

His dad, the strongest and the greatest hero of his world passed away before he was even ten. Six months later, the androids attacked. They took everything from him. His mentor Piccolo and his friends Krillin, Yamcha, Chiaotzu, Tien everyone was murdered. Since then he began, fighting a never ending battle against his foes. He never had the battle lust like his father or his father's rival, Vegeta. He wanted to go to school, become a scholar, make his parents proud, these were all he ever wanted. But he sacrificed his entire life to protect those of the innocent. The fate of the entire planet fell upon his shoulders. He could never run away from his responsibilities. But sometimes…, he wished he could.

On that fateful day, he knew there was little chances of his survival. They were far stronger and also had the strength in numbers. But he couldn't drag Trunks into the battle. Trunks was still a kid who had a lot ahead of him. Deep down him, he believed that one day the young saiyan prince would surpass him. He believed that even though he were to perish, another warrior would take his place to dismantle those heartless androids.

Still, was that the entirety of the truth? Often he pondered upon that. Was he running away from everything? Did he abandon everything onto Trunk's shoulders and run away? Some nights those cold eyes of the machines startled him from his sleep. Did the world get saved while he was gone? Did Trunks succeed?

What if? No. He never wanted to fathom such an outcome. All he could do was to hope for the best. But hope is paralysing. Unlike tragedy, which stops you for a while, until you are strong enough to move on, clinging on to hope was like being chained to your past with no strength left in your legs to break free.

"Gohan, you ok" His raven haired friend's voice was laced with concern. Gently placing hand on the saiyan's shoulders, he again apprised him to come for breakfast. He had returned although he thought it would be best to leave him to his thoughts. Unlike previous times, this time this seemed too heavy on him. Today, he thought he would finally let his opinion be known. It has been weighing upon his mind at this time.

"You were right in what you did? If you were never there, think of the endless lives that could have been lost" His friend's eyes showed how much he meant that. There was a fiery emotion that burned in it. Gohan couldn't quite decipher what it was. But he knew for sure how much he meant when he said that. He could do nothing but cogitate upon these words.

He was right. It never crossed, Son Gohan's mind. What if he had backed away that day? The countless lives that would have been lost. There were many lives that couldn't be saved but what of the thousands he had saved.

"I always held back from talking to you. But I have to tell you now. You did die a hero, Gohan. You were the greatest hero of your world. You never ran away from your fights. You never let fear cloud your judgement. Every day, you put your life on the line, so that the smiles of millions would never fade. The greatest honour in my life is to have met a hero like you."

These words affected him deeply. His best friend believed in his decision to have been the right one. His fight did have a purpose. Even though the truth was bare before his eyes, that death was all that awaited him in that battlefield. He never hesitated. Never did he once try to run away. He did not perish in vain. He died paving the way for the new flowers to blossom.

"Believe in yourself. Believe that the best had happened. Your brother, Trunks would have definitely saved your world. He carried on your will. There is no way, he would have failed."

Gohan smiled in reply. Most of the sadness that showed in his eyes had vanished. Only a few traces lingered here and there. Did he find that fleeting answer that had for so long evaded him? He was not sure, but his friend's words brought deep relief to the pain he felt deep down in his heart.

He rose up from his bed where he was seated. Ready to follow his friend to the dining table where breakfast was laid for him.

X-X

The atmosphere in the city was gloomy and depressing. The feeble sunlight that shined upon the streets, now threatened to give way to rain clouds. People hurriedly tried to get back to their homes to escape from the impending shower. Other scurried to find shelter. Some, who were not so lucky, prepared themselves to brave the downpour.

Son Gohan changed into his regular attire which consisted of a black t- shirt and regular brown shorts. His friend himself wore green military shorts with a blue tank top. The apron that had adorned him before was not present anymore.

Gohan followed his friend to the dining area.

"His friend." His friend was someone he could look upto to derive strength. Thinking more on it, he had it worse than him in many aspects.

He was forced to slaughter his family and his entire clan. When he was just 14 he had to make a choice. Would he side with his family to usurp authority over the village or kill them to protect his village? To preserve the harmony and the smiles of his beloved home, he painfully chose the latter. That decision made the entire world view him as a villain. He lived the entirety of his life as a wanted fugitive. But only a few knew he was one of the hidden leaf's greatest shinobi who willingly sacrificed his happiness for the sake of theirs. With all these bearing down upon him, he still awaited the day his brother would come to avenge their family. The only thing he ever desired was to die by his beloved brother's hands.

The disease had started to weaken him, slowly eating away at his life. But he held on awaiting his brother's arrival. So that his precious little brother could kill him and return home as the hero who avenged his clan by killing the villain that was him.

Even after his supposed death, he was revived to fight against his allies. Even then, he only thing on his mind was on how to aid his beloved villagers. He lifted the reanimation jutsu that was a plague to his comrades. Only a few knew what he had done. They lauded the hero who lifted the Jutsu, oblivious to the fact that it was he who was their saviour. He died a second time, but, this time he was able to tell his brother what he always wanted to say to him. He died as an unsung hero but with no regrets. Even after everything, after all the pain and agony he had to endure all his young life, he still called himself, a proud shinobi of the hidden leaf.

"Gohan! Lost again, are we?" Itachi shook his friend who had spaced out in the hallway.

"Sorry about that. I was lost in thoughts." He replied scratching the back of his head with his traditional son grin making its way onto his face.

"The day itself feels really gloomy. Don't try to add to that now." Itachi joked earning another smile from the saiyan.

"Those two have already started picking a fight. Let's go stop them before they blow up the building."

"I really don't want that." Gohan chuckled as he wrapped his hand around Itachi's shoulders. "Let's go stop those two."

Itachi felt that Gohan was returning to his normal self, which alleviated him to no end.

Never in his life did he fathom that he would meet someone like Gohan. A warrior who sacrificed everything he had to protect his world. At first, he found it hard to believe that someone like him existed. The villains in his world were candy compared to the ones Gohan had to face.

People capable of blowing up planets on a whim, how was that possible? But that never deterred him. He laid down his life heroically for the better cause. Itachi felt really honoured to be able to call him his friend. The best thing about this second chance at life was to have met people like his teammates. Gohan still continued to fight against the monsters of this world when he could have laid back and just enjoy all the pleasures life had to offer him. Everything, his previous life denied him. Unlike him, Gohan had some regrets of his past haunting him. He could have let his past cloud his judgements. But he chose not to like a true hero should be. When Itachi had suggested, they become hunters to upkeep the peace of Remnant, Gohan immediately consented. Together all four of them had helped a lot of inhabitants of this world. Itachi could say with all his might that they were his family. Even though one of them was extremely ashamed to admit it, he knew he cared for them and was willing to lay down his life for them.

At the table, the two other members had already began the morning routine of constant bickering. One of them always seemed to be in a foul mood while the other was just too optimistic about things. He would always find a way to piss off the other who had no qualms about starting a fight.

"Guys, that's enough. Break it off." Itachi ordered at the two.

"Me, fight against this buffoon. Please, he would die if I fought him." One of the two culprits remarked pointing to a raven haired teen.

"You know, you keep getting grumpier each day tribal man." The spiky raven haired teen shot back.

"Don't call me tribal man, you over cheerful monkey.'

"Why not? With that weird markings on your face, anyone would mistake you for a tribal."

Frankly, he did not know why he bothered asking for an explanation. This guy seemed to have an answer for everything. No matter how much he irritated him, he was his comrade and his friend. Though he did not want to show it, it was clear to him that everyone knew that fact.

Accepting defeat _Tribal Man,_ heaved a sigh and sunk back in his chair.

"Yo G- man, you holding up alright. We were all worried about you. Even Grumpy here showed some anxiety."

"I am fine Zack. Thank You for your concern. I just had one of those weird nightmares."

"Good to see you back in your usual self so soon. Usually, after those nightmares you spent the entire day sulking. Like Tribal Man over here." Zack replied in his usual cheerful self.

That was like the last straw that was needed. The so called Mr. Grumpy jumped at the former soldier's throat and a comical fight erupted between them.

Itachi jumped in to break it up while Gohan kept laughing at his friends antics. Every one of them had a doleful past. Zack was more like him. He always wanted to be a hero. He looked upto his icon Sephiroth who was his inspiration. He worked hard to achieve his dream. But life was not a fairy-tale ride like he had hoped. He was forced to kill off his mentor who had turned rogue. His idol tried to kill him. The very organization for which he dedicated his life to, hunted him. Finally, he laid down his life to protect the future of his best friend.

Like Zack had told him any times before, he died with no regrets. If it was to protect those dear to him, he would lay down his life even a million times over.

Gohan sometimes, felt a pang of jealousy towards his comrades. They had learned to accept their past and only thought of moving forward. Unlike him, who, still continued to remain a slave to his past. But all these years had somewhat healed the scars that were imprinted on him. Except on days like these, where he would experience those terrifying nightmares, Gohan could force himself to forget everything and just enjoy this life for what it was worth. These nightmares would bring him back to the same state of sorrow he tried so hard to escape from.

But today felt different. Itachi's words let a lasting impression on him. He realized he could no longer let himself tied down by his past. He had faithfully carried out his duties. This was a second chance for him. He had to live for his new family. He had to become a hero for this world.

Meanwhile Itachi had successfully separate the two of the others. Zack kept sulking, blaming it upon the other. While the other one got up and went back to his chair. He could only confirm Zack's mind was still 5 years old while his body was that of a 17 year old.

The teen sunk back to his chair letting his long blue hair hang behind. Gohan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"He really had changed a lot." He thought. A feeling of blissfulness began to develop in his visage.

He was the only one different from the rest. His entire family was killed by dragons that roamed his world. From that day he took a vow that he would get stronger and eliminate all the dragons. He became someone known as a dragon slayer, a wizard who specialized in hunting and killing dragons. But, he let this vengeance consume him. He slaughtered multiple dragons irrespective of either friend or foe. He bathed in their blood and himself turned into the one thing he so loathed and hunted. This vengeance ate away at his heart turning him blind to the endless agony and misery he had wreaked. He continued to hunt dragons and dragon slayers, never bothering to look upon the countless lives he took along the way, until the day he met his end at the hands of another dragon slayer.

"Captain, Gohan's spacing out again." Zack motioned Itachi to Gohan. Itachi gently tapped Gohan on his shoulders to bring him back to reality.

"Sorry about that." He replied with a goofy smile.

"You better start eating Gohan or scary dragon over here would eat your food." Zack motioned towards the food, while giving a sly grin to the dragon king.

Acnologia scoffed at that comment not bothering himself to formulate a reply. He might have been the mighty Dragon of the Apocalypse but his skills in throwing insults was better only to Gohan, who himself was too kind to even hurt a fly.

"I better start then." Gohan retorted, as he sat down on his chair and prepared to finish off his share of food.

X-X

7 years had passed since that day. The four of them found themselves in the middle of nowhere surrounded by Grimm on all sides. They were strangers who had no idea on who the others were, nor any clue on how had they ended up here. They were just four 10 year old kids who were easy prey to the Grimm. But that was not the case, the mindless Grimm did not know that these kids were stronger than even the best huntsmen of their world and were armed with unparalleled strength and a lifetime of endless life or death battles. Within a few moments only the fading carcasses of the monsters remained. There was not even a scratch to be seen on the composition of these kids.

Things did not get off to a great start at first. Gohan and Itachi bonded fairly easily while Zack felt like the easiest person to make friends with. It took some time for them to settle down and take in what had happened. After wandering for some time, they were able to figure out that this was a new world where they had ended up. Since they were as strong as the time they died, all of them did not have any problems getting by. Within a span of six months they shared their life stories with each other and decided that they would stick together. Everyone except Acnologia that is. He made it clear from the start, he was sticking together with them only for his gain. He had apparently lost his power to transform, which at that time didn't make any sense to the others. The four of them wandered around the world of remnant, learning about the geography, culture and political standings of this new world.

Only Itachi and Gohan worked to know more about this world while Zack was more or less goofing around and getting on Acno's nerves.

It was two years later that the former dragon king started opening up to the group. On that day, the four of them decided that they would become hunters and uphold the peace of this world. They would become the heroes that they so dreamed of.

At 12 years old, they ended up in the Alsius academy of the kingdom of Atlas. Itachi recommended that they attend the Atlas academy as it was more disciplined and was far better equipped, much to the woe of Zack. Acnologia surprisingly agreed to that. His only demand was that he needed things to destroy.

They did not want to arouse suspicion of their origins and had decided to keep their histories only among themselves. Itachi suggested that their powers too, be kept limited. Zack and Acno was totally against it but after making a lot of allowances, they agreed. They faked themselves to be orphans from the Vacuo Badlands who wanted to become hunters to avenge their families who were taken by the Grimm. Zack went even further changing his last name to Knight, the reason to that he never once revealed to anyone. The former soldier first class just lied that it gave more oomph to his name.

Another major hurdle was aura. Itachi had chakra, Gohan had ki and Acno had magic. Acno sometimes bragged about how he could still use magic without the etherion content in this world.

Zack was the only person who had aura just like the denizens of this world. But his aura reserve was like an endless ocean compared to the other inhabitants. He had a semblance too, like the people of remnant. His semblance was that of imitation. He could acquire any semblance that he saw in action. Itachi advised him to not show off this but it was all in vain. But since he had a semblance it was overlooked as an extremely rare one and did not evoke much suspicion.

Itachi agreed upon his semblance to be the ability to create illusions. Gohan did not have any special ability, so it was decided that his semblance was to ability to channel aura directly from his body to attack and to modify the shape and size of his aura.

The biggest headache came in the form of Acnologia who wanted his semblance to be Dragon Slayer magic. After a lot of pleading and nagging he agreed upon his semblance to be the ability to convert his aura into the main 5 elements. With further pleading, finally he agreed that he could convert his aura to the five elements only after he had contact with that elemental dust. Another stroke of luck was that the machines mistook Ki, Chakra and magic for aura. This helped the cause of laying low or so they believed. Itachi and Gohan had major doubts executing this plan. But luckily, it went on without much of a hassle. Surprisingly, people who tried to dig into their pasts ended up forgetting everything after meeting up with Itachi.

It was already decided that they would not stand out much in the academy. They were a year younger than the other students as Alsius. People did not except them to be stronger than veteran huntsmen.

This ended up failing miserably. Acnologia and Zack were not the ones who would hold back. Gohan and Itachi tried to act as normal as possible in fights. But the other two would end fights before it even started. Zack was a show off while Acno was a narcissist. In a span of two years, they became renowned around the other academies as the invincible team.

Team IZANAGI (IZAG) lead by Itachi Uchiha. The tales of their strength reached its peak when Acnologia effortlessly killed a harbinger singlehandedly, an ss class grimm that closely resembled a Dragon, albeit smaller than one.

Itachi unsurprisingly proved to be extremely popular with the girls which pissed off Zack. Luckily he had Acno by his side to scare off his _fan girls_ for him. His eyes that turned a red used to scare the hell out of Zack but these fan girls swooned over them. Poor Itachi had to deal with these wherever he went.

Acnologia was mistakenly believed to be the strongest member as no one had lasted more than a minute with him on the battlefield combined with the fact he easily killed an ss class grimm. Someone lasting a minute was when he spent time bragging about himself.

The three of them knew that Gohan was miles ahead of them in strength capable of blowing up planets. Itachi and Acnologia were almost equal in strength. Acno won in terms of sheer strength but Itachi had a lot of tricks up his sleeve. Zack was the weakest among them which he himself had accepted. The truth seemingly was too bitter for him.

When they had graduated at 16 years old, they had some catchy nicknames to themselves.

Itachi was called Demon eyes Itachi due to the fact that his eyes turned red when he activated his so called semblance.

Acnologia amusingly was called the Dragon Slayer of Atlas after he killed the ss class grimm.

Zack was called the nightmare of atlas derived from his new last name.

Poor Gohan was called as the Aura Monster because of his large inexhaustible aura reserves. That name did not suit the poor saiyan at all. He was on the opposite end of the spectrum of a monster. He would willingly, never even hurt a fly. If the grimm were ready to mend their ways (Which seems highly unlikely), he would even forgive them.

In these 7 years they had grown so close that they considered each other as family. They came to the understanding that this was like a second chance for them to live life again.

X-X

A year had passed since they graduated. They spent the last year travelling around the world. Another reason was to escape from the strict life at Atlas. They were given free pass to enter the Atlas academy but Itachi had decided against it. He wanted some time for themselves to ponder upon everything that had transpired.

"So, we go back to school in a few days. Man that sucks." Zack expressed his opposition to Itachi's idea.

"We already talked about this earlier. We have to attend these academies if we were to become huntsmen. So do not complain."

"Look, Even Acno agrees." The leader of team Izanagi replied, now pointing to the former dragon king whose face showed how disinterested he was.

"But why Beacon, caps?"

"To be honest, Atlas was doing some digging into our lives. On top of that I don't trust Ironwood. Ozpin of Beacon seems more of a reasonable guy. Even if things get out of hand, we can expect him to keep it a secret. But, I seriously have no intention on spilling out anything."

"Zack, we have to undergo some sort of initiation if we are to be admitted to the school." Gohan cut in.

"So don't go thinking we are already in."

"Don't make me laugh Aura Monster" Zack shot back in a mocking tone somewhat annoying Gohan. How he hated that name?

"There is no way they won't admit us. We are super famous. Every academy in remnant wants to have us. Beacon is lucky that we chose them." The former first class soldier expressed haughtily.

"Zack…"

"He is a lost cause." Before Gohan could reply Acno intervened.

"I don't mind going to some academy, but we better end up in the same team. Itachi make sure of that" The dragon slayer's arrogant laces tone came through.

"Looks like Dragon man can't bear to be separated from us." Zack began his never ending quest of irritating the latter. "Maybe we should start calling him…"

"I am going to kill you, you pea brained idiot." Acnologia got up to grab Zack who quickly moved away. The former dragon king was then held down by the saiyan who tried desperately to calm him down.

"Stop this guys." Itachi barked bringing order back into the room.

"When we reach Beacon, do not go showing off. We will keep our identities a secret until the initiation. Otherwise most likely everyone else would want to be on our team. Like Acno mentioned, I too prefer that all of us end up on the same team."

"Ok Beacon. Here comes IZANAGI." Zack screamed out while he raised his hands into the air.

Gohan asked him to pipe it down while Itachi smiled at the proclamation. The dragon king simply scoffed at this.

" _Hope we don't end up causing a lot of destruction."_ The leader of team IZAG prayed in the background.

X-X

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it**.

 **Feel free to leave your thoughts and feedbacks in the review section or go ahead and PM me.**

 **If you deem my story as worth follow/fav, go ahead and hit the follow/fav button.**

 **We part now only to meet again next chapter.**

 **Have a great day, all you lovely people out there.**


	2. Beginning of new Things

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DRAGON BALL Z, NARUTO, FAIRY TAIL, FINAL FANTASY 7 SERIES OR RWBY. THEY ALL BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. I ONLY OWN THIS FANFICTION AND MY OC'S.**

 **PS: IF YOU ARE SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T FOLLOW THE FAIRY TAIL MANGA AND ONLY FOLLOW THE ANIME AND IS WAITING FOR THE ANIME TO COME OUT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS, THEN THIS WILL CONTAIN HEAVY SPOILERS FOR FAIRY TAIL AND ALSO THE MOVIE DRAGON CRY.**

 _ **THIS FAN FICTION WILL HAVE SOME ELMENTS OF THE CANON ALTERED AND ALSO, WILL CONCENTRATE MOSTLY ON MY FOUR MC'S**_ _ **.**_

 **x-x**

"We leave for Beacon tomorrow. Everyone should be up and running on time." Itachi ordered as the four of them were strolling through the city of vale.

The city was bustling with activity as usual. The recent increase in crime rates had resulted in increased vigilance in the area. The police presence was higher than usual. Some people were minding their own business while others were engrossed in some activity. A few section of lowlifes were busy insulting the faunus who were among the populace. Dust prices had shot up to the point that some people found it too expensive to acquire. But that was of no significance to the four teenagers that strolled through the streets.

"Yea Yea, we get you" Zack was the only one to respond. Gohan knew Itachi never referred to him when he spoke about things like these as he was never late.

The others were a different matter. Zack basically loved getting late and messing around mostly annoying Acno.

While Acno did things in his own pace. Many a times they were behind schedule because Acno was not the one who was prepared to abide by the constraints set by humans and faunus. He would purposely be late and many did not have the guts to question him. To make up for this, Itachi and Gohan sometimes lied about the time of reporting even upto several hours.

"Can't we just walk there? Why do we have to take a stupid airship?" Acnologia was not very pleased with the idea of taking an airship. He might have been the Dragon King, but motion sickness was another matter. All the times he had taken one before, he had been the centre of attention of everyone present and Zack who was always beside him in these _dire_ times did not help the cause. But since the option of flying on his own did not exist anymore, there seemed no other alternative most of the time.

"It's been sometime since I saw you make your puke face. Lol. I am going to enjoy myself tomorrow." Zack couldn't' stop the muffled laughs that escaped him. For some reason the former first class soldier would never miss a chance to take a dig at the dragon slayer. He enjoyed it much to the latter's annoyance. Now, even after so many broken bones and bruises it did not cease.

The dragon slayer did not find giving any form of reply, worth wasting his time over. He was better at settling things with his fists and not words. Unlike others, the three of them were given absolute freedom. If it were anyone else and things wouldn't go so good.

But Zack wouldn't stop "remember that one time, he puked all over me. That was really gross."

"That's because you kept poking his belly and cracking horrible vomit jokes" Gohan retorted as he put his hand over the dragon slayer's shoulder trying to calm him down before the banks of patience broke and he sounded the bell for a destruction spree.

Acnologia just face palmed and continued to walk to some stupid clothing store as he described it, Zack found to be amusing. Honestly, he never cared about appearances. He still wore the same attire he had worn since centuries ago. The same high collared, black cloak which bore his draconian markings, sharp red claws around his neck, a sash around his waist, a gold arm ring tightened around his right upper arm, and baggy black pants. This strange attire coupled with his dark blue hair was attracting unwanted attraction towards the Black Dragon. Some giggled at his appearance, others gave him a look of being some lunatic, and some took an expression of fear, while some others actually seemed to take a liking to it. The Dragon king patiently bore through these unwanted attention. These new situations had taught him to improve his level of patience. Unlike the old times where he would raze the city to the ground.

The racial tension, so high in the air. These did not interest the Dragon Slayer in the slightest and he never felt the need to concern him with these matters. Wasn't it the natural rule? The strong will always oppress the weak. That is what he believed in. In any world, only strength mattered.

The black dragon of the apocalypse felt disgusted at the thought of being surrounded by humans. Unlike his comrades, he did not prefer interaction with anyone else. Either the solitude of the mountains or the forests or when they were in cities, the quietness of his room. This was what he liked. The sights of the city always brought back feelings of rage and hatred in him. It took him back to the times of chaos when the dragons ravaged his city and how helpless he felt during those times of darkness.

X-X

The Dragon King knew he was different from the other three. He wasn't a hero and never wanted to be one. He did not fight for the sake of others, only for himself. His sole objective was to reap his vengeance. Once he had made a promise to a dying girl whose life he was unable to save. He promised her that he would eliminate all the dragons in Earth land. But even then that promise was made only to fortify and enhance his quest for vengeance.

The dragons had taken everyone and everything he treasured and held dear from him. The flying beasts razed his city to the ground. All he remembered was the chaos, panic and agony around him. His friends, his family everyone killed and eaten by the scaled beasts. Each day witnessed the helplessness and the pitiful plight of his race in front of the dragons. That day, he swore he would attain the power to slay all the dragons. That day, he forsaked mercy from his heart. He let the hatred and rage take over.

Armed with a new found power, he fought and slaughtered countless dragons, never for the cause to save humanity but for his reckoning and to satisfy and feed his hatred. He never cared about anything other than his revenge. He lived for the sole purpose of slaughtering the dragons that once terrorized his dream. In time, this vengeance ate away at his heart and finally consumed him. Finally, he turned into the one thing he so loathed and despised. He himself had turned into a dragon. The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse.

Dragons who were against the humans and those who sided with the humans, he killed them all without mercy. But unlike, his legends said, he was not initially interested in killing humans, only the ones that stood in his way. The humans rose against him to protect the dragons who had sided with them. Blinded by the blood red flames of vengeance and corrupted by the sheer power that flowed through his body, he killed every human who opposed him. In time, human life became nothing to him. He did not consider humans anything more than insects whose lives were insignificant. Having witnessed all the terrible vices of the human kind, he only regarded them with contempt. Now, he had become something more than humans and even more than dragons. He had become the Dragon king. The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse. The dragon who devoured all magic. From there onwards the reign of the terror of Acnologia began. Every time he would appear, it was signified as the end of an era.

He had the power to rule the world if he so wished, he chose not to. Only Dragons and Dragon slayers piqued his interest. He would waste his time meddling with a human only if he thought he would pose a worthy challenge. Lowly humans and their affairs did not interest him in the slightest. He hated humanity but considered them unworthy of receiving his hatred. Every human that had threatened him or faced him met the same tragic end. Only one had fought him and lived to tell the tale.

When he met his end in the hands of the fire dragon slayer, somewhere in him he questioned his motives. His nemesis, who fought for the sake of his comrades intrigued him. What fuelled his flames was not the desire to avenge his foster father but the will to protect his family. When he had fallen, he passed on the title of Dragon King to him having finally met an opponent who could defeat him.

But never ever did he regret what he had done. When he found himself in this world, he agreed to an alliance only for his convenience as he found himself returned to his human self, unable to transform into a dragon. He could see the other three was strong maybe even stronger than him, and one other thing he enjoyed was fighting people who could give him a real challenge. His initial motive was that he wanted to obtain information of everything that happened and after that he would challenge them. According to him, only he should remain as the strongest in the world.

But in time he found he could relate his past to that of Gohan. The androids were like the dragons, maybe even worse. But what surprised him was the cause that the saiyan fought for. He did not fight for avenging his fallen friends and comrades but to protect the smiles and happiness of his world. To someone like him who believed people only lived to achieve their selfish dreams, someone like Gohan existing was unbelievable. He sacrificed his entire life for the cause he believed in.

Itachi and Zack too never let revenge guide them. Itachi eschewed everything he had for the sake of his village and his little brother. He still called himself a proud shinobi of the hidden leaf even after all that they put him through.

Zack was hunted by the same organization he dedicated his life to. They abandoned him and even experimented on him. When he had awoken, his motive was not to exact revenge but to meet up with his girlfriend and start a new life along with his friend. One thing, the dragon king admired in him was his attitude of only walking forward putting aside the past. Finally, the soldier gave up his life to protect his friend when he could have easily abandoned him to save his own.

Never in his wildest dreams did he fathom such people existed. People who rose above vengeance and hatred. The humans he knew lived only to fulfil their wicked ambitions regardless of the impact.

In his life he died a villain. When he met his end, people rejoiced at the end of the reign of terror of the Black Dragon. No one remembered him for the person he was before who once fought against the Dragons that terrorized humanity, though it was to satisfy his lust for revenge. It did not affect him. The legacy he left behind would make history remember him only as the Dragon of the Apocalypse.

Still, after all these years, he never regarded the lives of other humans and had no qualms taking one. 7 years had passed since he came to this world. For others, it might be a long time. But for him, who had lived for centuries it only seemed like a few days. But during this time he had grown close to them to the point he would call them comrades and friends, even family. If anyone threatened him or his comrades, he would kill them without mercy or hesitation.

They did not seem bothered by his past. They asked him to consider it as a chance to atone for his actions. Even now, he did not realize why he should atone when he felt what he did was what he ought to do. The other three had always held him back numerous times when he proceeded to take lives. They believed in him to make the right choices.

In time they had changed him. The murderous intent he felt was not that prevalent anymore. Even though he still despised and hated humans and still regarded them as nothing more than weeds one would never bother if stepped upon, he was able to hold back from taking lives casually. He learned to turn a blind eye to mockery from outsiders until it was said straight to his face. Even then, the culprit left with only broken bones and not life threatening injuries. This was not the case for those who threatened his or his comrade's lives. Every time he proceeded to slaughter his adversaries he believed his comrades would be there to stop him.

One other thing he so loathed was humans and faunus who considered themselves to be on equal footing with him. This was the reason, he never let fights drag on though Itachi and Gohan had pleaded with him time and time. His arrogance had diminished not one bit. He still regarded himself superior to the lowly inhabitants of this world. He would never stoop to their level. They should know their place, which was many levels below him

Maybe that was the reason he grew to love his comrades. He did not regard his comrades as humans, saiyans or ninjas or anything. He considered them as his equals. This was why he had learned to care about them. This was why he would do anything to protect them. Their lives were the only lives he treasured. They were to him the family he had once lost to the dragons. These feelings he harboured in his heart was the sole reason he decided to follow them and the lone motive that he had agreed to whatever plans they had hatched for the future. He himself did not have any purpose in life, so he decided to follow whatever path that they had chosen.

X-X

"Caps, you have any idea on what that initiation is going to be." Zack cut in between the conversation of Itachi and Gohan.

"I tried digging in but it's kept a real secret. It seems that they change it each year." Itachi replied while his gaze was fixed on the dragon slayer behind him.

"Looks like he's become a lot more patient." He mused to himself. The Uchiha wasn't excepting the Dragon Slayer to turn a blind eye to the gazes that he was getting courtesy of his outfit.

"I really wanted Atlas. They had a lot of pretty girls. Too bad I had to bid adieu to my fan club." Zack went on in his casual goofy tone.

"I told you earlier Zack. I don't really trust Ironwood. He is the sort of person who puts power above everything and prefers a direct approach to things. If he started digging further into us, things might have got a bit complicated. His intentions might be good but I do not approve of his methods."

"Then there is one more reason I didn't tell you guys."

"One more? What is it Uchiha?" Acno questioned the sharingan user now getting interested in the conversation.

Itachi looked around themselves to make sure no one was listening to them. "This Ozpin of Beacon seems to know a lot more secrets about this world than Ironwood. I want to gather all this information from him. But from what I have heard, he is a cunning man with a ton of experience with him. We won't get much from him unless we try hard. So think of this as a way to know more about how we ended up here. We have to gain his trust before we can learn more about things."

Itachi concluded.

The leader of team Izanagi then looked into each of his comrade's faces to decipher their thoughts. He found Gohan and Acno were approving of his action while Zack was still a bit aloof and putting up a clownish face.

"Then again Beacon is the best of the bunch and also must have a lot of pretty girls. So don't go worrying about that. I am sure you would get another fan club soon" The Uchiha sighed to himself before he uttered these words.

Zack gave a cheeky grin as he rubbed the back of his head. Now he was satisfied. One thing he always adored was recognition and acknowledgement. He had quite a fan base back in Gaia and he always enjoyed the attention.

"Don't forget Zack, things would have been normal if both you and Acno didn't go showing off all the time and rubbing many people the wrong way." Gohan added.

"Hey, I was not showing off. Besides it was the Dragon boy who put everyone he faced in the infirmary for weeks." Zack tried to plead his cause.

Gohan turned to see an Acnologia who had already given up from responding.

"But, you were the one who pissed off that Shnee girl that landed us in a hell lot of trouble." The Dragon king cut in now deciding he was not giving up.

"Hey, that's not my fault. She's the one who accepted my challenge."

"She might have but what you did really pissed her off. But if I am honest with myself, I have to say that was really amusing." Acnologia gave out a laugh as he spoke.

Both Itachi and Gohan smirked to themselves while Zack gave a sheepish grin. He didn't know whether that was an insult or a compliment.

 _Ever since he found out about how his semblance worked, Zack picked up a sort of bad habit of gathering semblances. He was able to copy anyone's semblance and make it his own. His massive aura allowed him to execute and wield that power even better than the real owner._

 _This habit forced him to challenge the eldest of the Schnee when they were summoned for a mission. She was unaware of what his semblance was and fell into his trap to reveal her semblance to him. Things took a turn for the worst when he started using her semblance against her. Add to that, he had a cocky grin when he did that which signified he had made a fool of her. Next thing he knew she had started flinging 'rich people abuses' at him. Acnologia laughed his mind off while Itachi had to take away Zack before the military specialist made an order to shoot him down. Poor Gohan was left with the task of calming her down. Since that day, she's always had a watchful eye on them hampering their initial idea of keeping a low profile._

"Ok I agree that I might have messed up a bit. But what about that time when tribal man here took down that harbinger" Zack went on not backing down.

"That was clearly understandable. That grimm resembled a dragon and given his past, it's only natural he would want to kill it." Itachi retorted now siding with the dragon slayer.

The dragon king only gave a cocky grin which exuded that he had mo regrets of what he had done and would do it again.

 _But to be honest, Itachi was lying when he said it was understandable. It was during a field mission along with the entire class that the harbinger appeared. The teachers immediately concentrated on getting the students to safety while frantically requesting for backup. There wasn't any high level hunter capable of taking down the ss class grimm among them. Both Itachi and Gohan tried their best to dissuade the dragon king. But it failed miserably. His hatred towards dragons got the better of him. The harbinger was an ss class grimm that only the best hunters were assigned to take out. Acnologia knocked first knocked out the professor who tried to stop him and went face to face with the grimm, With only three quick strikes of ice element magic, he incapacitated the harbinger before ripping it to pieces with his final attack. The entire class along with their accompanying faculty were witnesses to this act. Whatever plans Itachi hatched to maintain a low profile was ripped to shreds on that day. The attack on the teacher earned him a suspension but from that they day onwards, the dragon king was feared among all the students and even among the professors. It earned him the moniker 'The Dragon Slayer of Atlas". Honestly, he carried that moniker with pride._

"Thinking back, that was the day I had the most fun" Acno burst out cockily.

Gohan and Itachi simply sighed while Zack made some stupid comment about how the harbinger and Acnologia looked alike.

"That aside, don't forget the plan." Itachi announced breaking the mood.

"Me and Zack will stick together during the ride while Gohan is with Acnologia. I am there to stop Zach from hitting on some random girl and showing off. Gohan's task is to prevent anyone from mocking Acno when he experiences his motion sickness. If anything happens, God only knows what he would do to him. Try your best to prevent attracting unwanted attraction towards yourselves."

"After you reach the school grounds, each group will go our separate ways. Try to gather as much information as you can. We will regroup at night and share whatever information we have obtained. After that I will inform you further on the plan."

"But, Itachi what if the initiation is on the same day?" Gohan questioned.

"It won't be." Itachi affirmed. "From all the information that I have gathered, the initiation test is only conducted on the next day"

"Okay then." The saiyan seemed satisfied.

"I repeat once again. DO NOT GO AND PICK FIGHTS OR GO AROUND CAUSING TROUBLE DURING THE AIRSHIP RIDE AND ALSO AT THE ACADEMY." The Uchiha ordered with his eyes fixed upon the Former Soldier and the Dragon Slayer while stressing on the last sentence he spoke.

Acno scoffed in reply while Zack gave him a thumbs up.

"Alright we get you caps. Let's get to that store already." The soldier declared before he walked on in front. The other three merely followed him.

X-X

From the next chapter, we go into the main story.

 **Before that let me ascertain the character of all four of them**.

GOHAN here will not be as cheerful and outgoing as his past counterpart. This is because he died before he could destroy the androids plaguing his world. I am not including the Xenoverse 2 storyline where he meets future Trunks here. So, he would still be Gohan but a bit more reserved because he still harbours doubts in his hearts regarding the fate of his world.

ITACHI would be like the Itachi before the Uchiha massacre. The kind and caring Itachi. He died without regrets and so only looks to walk forward in his new life. He deeply values his new friends and would do anything to protect them.

ZACK would be the normal Zach. Armed with a positive attitude and is always ready for work. He still has that energetic personality and short attention span. Like in the beginning of crisis core, he is sociable and easily befriends almost everyone. He is flirty with women, a bit of a show off and extremely protective of his friends.

ACNOLOGIA has not turned to a good guy. He just learned to be a lot more patient. For all of you who have read the manga and seen the dragon cry movie would know that the dragon king doesn't bother meddling with humans. Both Zeref and Anna Heartfilia mentions this. Zeref even remarks that Acno had the power to rule the world if he wished even with one arm ripped off. He is not a killer and only kills if anyone gets in his path. The only people he bothers is with strong warriors capable of challenging him other than dragons and dragon slayers. He still has no qualms about taking lives. Like I mentioned before, he considers his comrades as his equal and this is the reason for his loyalty and affection towards them and would do anything to ensure their safety .He still despises humans and faunus.

 **Now about how strong they are?**

Gohan is the strongest. Future Gohan can only go upto super saiyan. In his super saiyan form, he is as strong as imperfect cell.

Itachi and Acno are almost equal when overall statistics are considered. Acno wins in terms of sheer power but the Uchiha has got the MS, Amaterasu and the susano o'. So that sort of evens the odds a bit. I know you require etherno to use magic, but I didn't' feel like using that to nerf Acno. So he can use all his magic. The manga did not give any details on what kind of magic he uses. Only a vague idea was given. He is shown as the dragon who devours all magic and is immune to all magic. So I am taking the liberty to assume that he can use all Dragon Slayer magic.

Zack would be the weakest member but is stronger than most other hunters in remnant. He would be strong enough to take down a dragon on his own.

Since we don't know much about Salem's power, all I can say in that matter is that Gohan is definitely stronger than Salem.

 **Semblances.**

The four of them have hidden their powers and only use one specific power that they pass off as their semblances.

Itachi has passed off his semblance to be illusions.

Gohan has passed it off as the ability to channel and modify his aura.

Acnologia's is to change his aura into the 5 elements namely Fire, Water, Wind, Earth and Lightning. His ruse is that he can only do this after he comes in contact with that elemental dust.

Zack's semblance is imitation. He is the only one among them who uses aura and actually has a semblance like the inhabitants of Remnant. His semblance is imitation which allows him to copy and store away any semblance he has seen in action. I based his semblance on his limit breaker 'The digital mind wave'. FF7 fans would know what I am referring to. Currently, he can use two copied semblances simultaneously. The list of semblances in his possession are:

1\. Aura sensing ability

2\. Teleportation

3\. Winter's semblance

4\. Shadow clones

5\. Telepathic communication

6\. Vector: This is his most powerful one. It allows him to change the perception of time of his enemy within a short radius of 10 metre.

X-X

 **HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER. YOUR REVIEWS AND FEEDBACKS WILL BE APPRECIATED.**


	3. WELCOME TO BEACON

**Hello Guys, I am back with a new chapter.**

Before that let me answer some questions I got from the review section and also from my reviews.

 **PS: I have corrected Zach to Zack. I can't believe I had failed to notice that I actually got the spelling of his name wrong. Sorry about that**.

 **1**. **I have received a question from the review and from two Pm's on how Zack's semblance works**

This was supposed to be explained in a future chapter during an important battle. But I guess I can tell you how he can copy someone's semblance. Otherwise, you guys would think it as just plain and boring.

Now, I based his semblance based on his Limit Break 'The Digital Mind Wave' (DSW) from Crisis Core. Briefly the DSW basically works like this: There are 3 reels at the side that can be spun. Like that of a slot machine. According to the images obtained, he can achieve a status change. If the three reels show the image of the same character and Zack has enough points, he can use the Limit Break of that character. So here, he can use the limit breaks of characters and summons he met or defeated before. So, in brief it allows him to draw power from his past encounters.

Secondly, I have taken inspiration from Chrollo's ability from HxH. So, Zach's ability will be heavily influenced by how HxH works.

The name of his semblance is "Counterfeit".

Now here are the important steps, or rules as you may call it for him to successfully copy and store away someone's semblance:

 **Step 1** : He has to see the semblance in action. Since he has the ability to sense aura, _one of the semblance he copied earlier (That story would be told in detail in a future update),_ he can determine if someone has activated their semblance or not. Now, most importantly he should see what the semblance actually does. For e.g.: Take Pyrrha's semblance. It is different from someone like Ruby's semblance where you can easily see the effects of the semblance. Zack can understand if she has activated her semblance or not due the ability of his to sense aura, but unless he knows what her semblance does, he cannot copy it.

 **Step 2** **:** When someone activates their semblance, he has to be within a distance of 2 metre radius around them for 3 seconds with "Counterfeit" activated i.e. during this contact period, the opponent's semblance has to remain activated. If they switch off their semblance before 3 seconds has elapsed, then he has to repeat step 2 again. Basically, what this step does is store a temporary data on the semblance on his body.

 **Step 3:** On successful completion of step 2, the semblance will be recorded in his body. But he has to activate it within 10 minutes. If he doesn't activate it within the time frame, he has to go back to step 2. Because the data stored in his body will be lost. There is also another hurdle: After step 2, during the 10 min time frame, if he comes into contact with someone else's semblance i.e. any semblance other than the one he is trying to copy, then his copied data will be lost. He has to repeat step 2 again. But this won't work if the semblance that hits him is one he had already stored away before.

EG: Imagine, he completed upto step 2 for copying Ruby's semblance. During the 10 min time frame, he is attacked by Yang with her semblance. Then his data on Ruby's semblance stored in his body will be lost. So he has to repeat step 2. But if he already has Yang's semblance copied earlier, then it won't affect his imitation process.

Note that only being hit with a semblance cancels it. Other attacks do not affect it.

 **Step 4:** He has to maintain the newly acquired semblance for 5 seconds for it to be permanently stored in his body. This also has to be completed within the 10 min time frame as specified in step has to only do this only once. After that he can use the semblance like his own. But if he fails to maintain it for the specified time before the 10 min time frame in step 3 has elapsed, he has to revert back to step 2.

After steps 1 to 4 have been successfully completed, he can use that semblance like his own whenever he wants.

So you see, it maybe OP but there are strict conditions for its activation. The reason I chose such an ability is because it gives me a lot of freedom to explore it. Unlike the three others, who use KI, chakra and magic, Zack uses aura itself. We all know how those formers work and there is little scope of integrating my imagination into it. But in the case of Zack, I can let lose my creativity on his ability.

You guys can clearly see the heavy HxH influence. I have always wanted to create a sort of HxH like ability and this gave me a perfect chance.

These rules are the sole reason, he has only copied 6 other semblances. I actually wanted to provide this info during a future battle. But I guess, its better you all know this beforehand.

Then there are a few major weaknesses for his semblance. Also, there is a catch to using two semblances at once. That unfortunately, I cannot explain to you guys now. Sorry, but you will have to wait for a future update to know what it is. Main reason I cannot spill the beans here is that it forms the core part of an important future battle. If I spill it here, then the beauty of that chapter will be lost.

So I hope that answers your inquiries about the Soldier's semblance.

 **2.** **Pairings**

Pairings have not been decided. If you have any suggestions, feel free to PM me or leave in the review sections. Personally, I am not that much into romance and shipping and to be completely honest I had no plans of introducing pairings. But if you guys have any suggestions, then I will look into it.

 **DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DRAGON BALL Z, FAIRY TAIL, NARUTO, FINAL FANTASY 7 SERIES AND RWBY. THEY ALL BELONG TO THEIR RSPECTIVE OWNERS. I ONLY OWN THIS FANFICTIONAND MY OC'S.**

 **x-x**

If he could describe this airship ride to Beacon in one word, the Dragon King would call it HELL, The worst kind of hell. It took all he had to put up a normal outward appearance. Ever since he came to this world, his motion sickness had got worse. Although he had trained himself to prevent it from showing, it left him highly vulnerable. On top of that he was surrounded by humans and faunus which disgusted him. How he hated this? And what he hated the most right now was that annoying "Monkey" beside him. God only knew he had enough rage built up inside him to rip off his head.

"Zack. Don't go ruin the plan. We are supposed to stand someplace else." Itachi Uchiha was clearly annoyed at the antics of the former Soldier. This guy had made it a passion of his to get on the nerve of the Dragon Slayer who himself was holding back from exploding in rage. The only thing preventing from doing anything reckless back was his motion sickness. Itachi felt a shiver run down his spine when he thought of someone else trying to mock Acno right now.

"Sorry, caps couldn't help it. His face is just so funny" Zack tried his best to hold back the laughs that escaped him. Even then small muffled laughs somehow broke through.

"Zack, do you want to make me angry" The former soldier first class suddenly ceased his laughing when he felt the angry glare of the Uchiha beside him. He saw that his eyes now had turned red and that was never ever a good sign.

Zack gave a goofy smile as he slightly sweat dropped

"I am sorry again caps. Let's go now."

The ex-soldier sighed in relief when the eyes of the Uchiha returned back to its regular colour.

The saiyan was too concentrated on preventing Acno from going berserk and simply had his trademark son grin on his face. But behind that smile showed a tensed Gohan who felt that their little squabble was attracting a bit of attraction. Especially from the fairer sex.

Itachi adjusted the sleeves of his dress as he motioned Zack that it's time to leave.

"Gohan and Acno stick together. We will meet once we reach the school grounds." Itachi affirmed the plan once again as he and Zack walked towards the opposite side of their present location.

The ex-soldier picked up his pace to catch up with the Uchiha who had started without him.

"Look caps, there is another puke boy over here. Think he is also a Dragon Slayer." Zack remarked as the duo passed over a scrawny blonde who looked like he was just about to puke. Unlike the Dragon King, he did not do much to hide it.

"I have to say that joke was funny" Itachi chuckled to himself.

"Maybe he is the Blonde Dragon Slayer."

"Ok. Now you are pushing it." Itachi's laughter had all but died down as he showed he ceased to be amused.

"Sorry about that. Let's go someplace else before he decides to 'let it all out', you know." The former soldier gave a goofy smile as he hurriedly followed the Uchiha who did not even bother to listen to him finish.

X-X

Itachi actually admired and respected Zack and his optimism. Though he never told him to his face, he considered the former soldier first class as a real hero. Someone who anyone could look up to. The Uchiha liked having him around. He was the cheerful personality among them, always there to light up a dull moment, never holding a grudge against anyone. Zack had told him many times before that if it was for his comrades he would gladly lay down his life. What the Leaf shinobi respected the most about the Soldier was his ability to look ahead and never be tied down by his past. Someone who was never bound by vengeance. Zack somewhat reminded him a bit of a certain Blonde shinobi back in his world. Even though, the former soldier was hard to deal with at times, Itachi considered him like a little brother though they looked the same age. He staunchly believed he was someone he could always depend upon. He had this aura around him that attracted people towards him. Even Acnologia had started to change a bit due to his influence. But somewhere deep down he knew the Former Soldier hid the pain he felt.

Gohan reminded him of his best friend in the hidden leaf, Shisui Uchiha. That was the main reason, he trusted Gohan above everyone else. Gohan was like the embodiment of what he viewed as a true hero. Strong, down to earth, kind, merciful and selfless. If someone like him existed in his world, he would have been his idol. The Uchiha was well aware of the immense sadness the saiyan harboured in his heart. Though he never showed it, the Uchiha could see it well hidden behind his smiles. He could understand that pain. Unlike him, Gohan died with some regrets. Contrary to Itachi's view about him, the saiyan himself considered a failure. Someone who failed to carry on the legacy his father left behind. If Itachi did go out of his ways to cheer someone up, it would be for the saiyan hybrid.

But among them, Itachi still had quandary about Acnologia. Though the Uchiha never doubted his loyalty toward them, he opposed his ideals and beliefs. He knew that the three of them had his loyalty and affection only because he acknowledged them and considered them as his equals. Itachi could never understand the Dragon Slayer's view towards humans. The dragon slayer thought himself to be a God among insects. Human life was below insignificant to him. The sharingan user very well knew how vengeance born out of loss and hatred can change someone. In his past life, he had met several who stood for a good cause but changed when their hearts where taken over by hatred. Somewhere, the dragon slayer reminded him of his little brother, giving up everything for the sake of his hatred. So, he himself took upon that task to change the Black Dragon. He did not want someone he cared about go back to his old ways.

Itachi and Gohan had tried their best, but for someone who lived for centuries destroying anything that stood in his way was not going to alter his beliefs within few years. But he could notice some changes in the dragon slayer compared to how he was the first time they met. Itachi very well understood that Acnologia only agreed to accompany them for his selfish motives. But now he had changed. The Uchiha would trust him with his life but not with the life of someone outside their group. But he respected how the Black Dragon had grown to turn a blind eye to many things and had learned to be more patient.

Itachi never had any regrets when he left the world of the living. He had done all he could to protect his beloved brother. Everything he had done was for the sake of his precious home and his little brother. He forsaked his life and happiness for the people he cared about.

In this second life, he had met people who were like him. People who gave up their lives to protect what was important to them. He knew what they were. They were four different kinds of heroes. A true hero who was Zack, A real hero who believed he was a failure, Gohan, An unsung hero who would remain to be known as a villain, himself and A fallen hero who was consumed by hatred, Acnologia. Whoever they were, he Itachi Uchiha was proud to call them his comrades.

When he had first arrived in Remnant, he did not know what to make of it. He was devoid of purpose. Somewhere in him he feared that fate would play a cruel symphony on him again. But now, he knew what he had to do. He would live his life with his comrades. He would live the life, the cruelty of fate had denied him. Maybe experience the many joys this world had to offer.

As an obligation to whoever gave him a second chance, he would fight against the evil of this world. Together they would become heroes of Remnant. He made a promise to himself that he would not let this world suffer like his own world had suffered. And he intended to fulfil that promise.

X-X

"What are you smiling about Caps" Zack's words cut in breaking Itachi's train of thoughts.

Itachi was a bit startled at this.

"No nothing, just trying to think of a plan." He blurted out.

"Always the wise one, are we?" Zack made a comical face as he said this, which received a slight chuckle from the Uchiha.

"Anyhow, there are some girls over there giving me the looks. I was hoping you let me go and make friends with them." Zack's voice sounded like he was pleading but Itachi knew the Former Soldier was asking that only to get on his nerve a bit. It wasn't a big surprise and he was expecting something like this. Mainly because Acno was on the other end and Zack had no one to toy around with.

Itachi looked to where Zack was pointing to.

"You can't Zack. They are interested in me and not you. Anyone can guess that." Itachi had decided to play along.

Zack's face turned a bit red.

"Itachi, my friend. That was seriously funny. Ha Ha." He clearly felt a bit burnt from that counter. Itachi could easily understand that his friend did not expect him to retort that way. It was evident in him using his name. He always called him caps ever since he was made the leader back in Alsius. He called him by his name only when he lost his cool or when he was a bit perplexed.

"Between you and me, it is obvious as daylight who they would choose." Itachi decided to humour his friend. He wasn't the best in cracking jokes but unlike his previous life, this one afforded him the liberty to do so. Why waste your life tied down by the past?

Before Zack could respond with anything, the holoscreen previously showed a news report which Itachi had missed due to him being lost in thoughts, disappeared. A holographic form of a light blonde haired middle aged woman took its place. Itachi and Zack shifted their attentions towards the screen.

"Hello and welcome to Beacon" she greeted. "My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honour of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is expe…"

"If all the teachers looked like this, I won't mind attending this school. This could be fun." Zack mused breaking Itachi's attention from the screen.

Itachi grinned at that statement before opening his mouth to utter a reply. But decided against it when he realized the decency level of what he was going to say. NO, he wasn't going to stoop that low.

By this time the holograph had faded away. The aerial view of the city of Vale now took its place.

The Uchiha could very well guess what the next lines were. He was a prodigy of the hidden leaf and the best in his academy back home. He had enough school experience for guesswork. Most probably, she would have told about honing skills, knowledge and all those things. In a way he believed these things were necessary but should not take up prime importance. Nothing could teach you better than experience. The faster kids were exposed to the real world, the better hunters they would become.

X-X

Gohan couldn't hear anything Glynda said beyond the first two lines. Acno beside him did not like the tone of her voice and was making some threatening remarks about that. But his motion sickness made the remarks rather comical and non-understandable. The dragon king's arms were wrapped around his belly and his head would constantly shift positions. All he could decipher was _lowly human, bossy, order_. The saiyan had no intention to come up with a logical conclusion and find out what he was trying to say. He knew it wasn't anything good.

"What's wrong with your friend here?" Gohan turned to his side to see a girl about their age with short orange air. She wore a black and white shirt with a heart shaped opening in front.

From her face, the saiyan hybrid theorized that she was a hyper one. Her face showed a bit of concern when she inquired about the dragon slayer.

Gohan gave her a greeting smile.

"He just cannot handle transportation. That's all." The saiyan answered while also glancing at his friend who was starting to get annoyed.

The teenager's face took an expression of being nauseated.

"Does that mean he's gonna puke here. Gross. Get away from me." The girl made a gesture with her hands to the dragon king to stay away.

Gohan had to hold Acno firmly by his elbow to prevent him from lunging at the girl.

"Miss, I really hope you don't annoy him. Things get really bad when he is annoyed." The saiyan tried to plead his cause. Gohan's facial expression literally meant _Please run away before things go haywire_. He was profusely sweating as the tick marks on the Slayer's face started getting bigger with each passing moment. He did not expect Acnologia to have enough patience or mercy to let a mockery to his face pass.

"Nora, don't go around annoying people." Gohan shifted his attention towards the noise to see a teenager with long black hair that had some strands coloured pink. He wore a long sleeve green coloured shirt and white pants. From what he could understand, this guy was basically like the babysitter of the hyper active girl. To Gohan, he was the saviour who could prevent a major disaster.

"Sorry about that. She can be a bit hard to deal with at times." The black haired teenager apologized bowing slightly as he said so.

"It's okay. No harm done." Gohan scratched the back of his head while he mused to himself " _That was close_." He could hear Acno gritting his teeth loud and clear.

"I'm sorry Ren."

The girl so called Nora then turned to face the saiyan with a smile on her face and extended her hand to him. 'Hi. I am Nora Valkyrie and this is my friend Ren" She gestured to the teenager beside her.

"What are your names?'

The saiyan hybrid smiled in reply and shook her hand. "I am Son Gohan and this here is my friend Acnologia."

"Did you say Acnologia?" The teenager named Ren somewhat retorted in excitement.

"Yes I did. Is there any problem?" Gohan could somewhat connect what was going to happen. He seriously hoped, his hypothesis was wrong. The last thing he needed was people trying to start up a conversation with his blue haired friend.

"You said you are Gohan right? That means you guys are from Alsius"

"Yes, we are." The saiyan could feel where this was going.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I have heard about you guys." Ren extended out his hand to Gohan and the saiyan accepted the hand shake.

"I have heard how you took down a harbinger on your own. That was pretty amazing." He added as he now extended his hand to the Dragon King.

Gohan inwardly face palmed. The awkwardness on his face growing bigger as Acnologia was gave a menacing stare to the teen and then to Gohan.

"You have to excuse him. But my friend here is not much of a social person" Gohan intervened before anything could transpire. His facial expression basically begged them to stay away.

"Oh I see." Ren took back his hand. "Anyway, it was great to see you." He wasn't an idiot. He could somewhat guess what the saiyan was implying

"So you guys have come to join Beacon?" The hyper active Nora interjected.

"Well, that's a long story. I'll tell you sometime later. Bye. It was great meeting you." Gohan blurted out hurriedly before he literally dragged an Acnologia who had his fists clenched, away from the scene.

"That blue haired guy was weird." Nora turned to Ren. She was a bit taken back by the reply. How was joining Beacon going to be a long story? A simple yes or no was enough, wasn't it? On second thought that question was foolish. Why else would they be here if not to join Beacon?

"I too think so." "But from what I heard he is crazy strong and has no qualms about breaking the bones of whoever he fights." Ren understood the girl beside him was oblivious to the intense hatred Acnologia was giving off. That's why Gohan was too much interested in breaking the conversation and moving away. Just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine.

"OO scary." The girl put up an act of being scared. "I believe that was the longest sentence you said today Ren"

The raven haired teen simply sighed to himself admitting defeat. "No use in explaining things to her."

X-X

When the airship had finally landed, it meant sweet relief to the Dragon King. He had half a mind to kiss the ground and scream "Sweet Land.". But neither his pride nor the intended plan let him do so. They were supposed to meet at some distance away from all the hustle to have a small briefing from Itachi.

"Gohan, I understand the need of the plan. But why the hell do we have to wear this ridiculous dress?" The saiyan hybrid was the only person the Dragon King addressed with his first name. It showed he acknowledged Gohan's strength to be far greater than his own. Itachi was simply called Uchiha, unless in rare circumstances when he used his first name. While he never even bothered to call Zack by his name. Monkey and idiot took that place and in certain circumstances he added pea brain to that.

"It might seem ridiculous to you. But honestly, these are normal dresses, for teenagers our age." Gohan had a wry expression on him. Seriously, he could never understand Acno's weird dressing sense.

All four of them wore hooded jackets. Nothing strange about that. Itachi's was blue, Zack's was purple, his own was orange and Acnologia had on a black one.  
It took some time to force the Dragon King into wearing these so called _ridiculous dress._ If he had gone around wearing his regular attire, it was sure to be the centre of attention of everyone present. The last thing they needed was someone to mock him while on ground. He didn't want to fathom what all mess that would cause.

Acnologia just scoffed at this comment. "Whatever let's just go"

X-X

Contrary to Itachi's plans Zack had walked got out of the airship ahead of him leaving the Uchiha behind in the crowd. The former soldier wanted to take in all of what lay in front of him. Being here reminded him of his training days at Shinra. He actually did not mind attending school again if it was not for the studying part. 

This took him back to the time he was a kid. After hearing the exploits of Sephiroth in the war, he decided to join Shinra to become a soldier. All he ever wanted was to become a hero, that's all he dreamt about.

At the age of 13, he left Gongaga without telling his parents, and joined the Shinra's military. He could recollect the joy he felt on the day Angeal had recommended him to be First Class. But, everything did not go as he had expected. In the end he has to kill his mentor, Angeal. His close friend, Sephiroth. He was made into an experiment for four years by the very organization, he was so loyal to.

He had to kill Genesis after trying his hardest to save him, watch the Director as well as the Angeal clone both die right in front of him. After all this, he finds a letter saying Aerith has sent him 89 letters and waited for his return for four year.

Any other person would have gone mad from hatred, but not him. He only believed in walking forward. Life was just too short to waste on hatred and revenge. And he wasn't the type to bear grudges.

At that time, only one thing occupied his mind. Go back to his Aerith and start a new life with her and his best friend by his side.

Acnologia had once told him he had been foolish to carry Cloud with him. But, he had his honour and he would never abandon a friend. Even when he was hunted by the very organization he dedicated his life to, he pressed on towards Midgar with his best friend who was in a catatonic state.  
When they were surrounded by Shinra troops, he perceived that he had little chance of survival. Yet he fought, he fought to protect his best friend while somewhere in him a faint ray of hope lingered that he would make it alive to Aerith.

In his dying breath, he passed on the sword Angeal had handed on over to him to Cloud. With the last gasps of air, he asked Cloud to carry on his legacy.

He did not have any regrets of what he had done. In his heart, he believed he died a hero.

When he received a second chance at life in this world of Remnant, all he wanted was to carry on the remainder of his dreams. Become a Hero of this world. He felt lucky to have met his comrades. Itachi and Gohan, he admired and respected them more than anything. They reminded him of the heroes he used to read about in legends.

Acnologia was different. But Zack cared about him. The primary reason he so annoyed the dragon slayer was to break through his rough exterior and make him see the world in a different light. He could never hate anybody. He saw only the positive side to things. Even against Shinra, somewhere he was thankful or the chance they had given him to fulfil his dreams.

Right here, starting this day, he would be taking a major stride to accomplish his dreams. He wasn't going to be tied by the past. He was going to fight a never ending battle against his chief rival, The Future.

"Wow, that's a cool sword" A voice came behind him severing the former Soldier's thoughts.

He turned to see a fair skinned young girl with silver eyes and black, neck-length, choppy hair that gradated to dark red at the tips. She wore a long sleeved thick black blouse with a high collar and red trim on the sleeves, a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front, and a black skirt with red trim.

"Cute" Zack mused to himself.

"She's a beauty, isn't she? I crafted her myself." Zack hoisted his blade from his back and swinged it around. His blade was an exact replica of the Buster sword Angeal bestowed upon him. The only difference was that the handle now was of a deep purple colour.

"Really." The girl couldn't hide her excitement.

Without any delay, she pulled out her weapon which was a ridiculously large scythe for a short girl.

"This is my baby, crescent rose. I also crafted it myself. Awesome right. Other than a scythe, it's also a customizable sniper rifle. And..." she wouldn't just stop. Zack pretended like he was listening and even put up a face showing interest.  
"She's cute and energetic." He thought. "And obviously obsessed with weapons."

"So, what does your sword do?" She finally came to a halt.

Zack understood the question. Almost every weapon in Remnant was of the hybrid type. The girl's was not any different.

"It's just a sword. And a very big one at that." He elaborated..

"Just a sword! You mean it's not a grenade launcher or gun or anything else?"

"Nope. Just a big and heavy sword."

Ruby Rose was a bit dismayed. She was expecting his sword to have some sort of cool feature to it. But nothing.

"So, what's your sword named?" A tinge of disappointment echoed in her voice.

"I call her Honour."

Ruby Rose folded her arms.

"Honour. That's a strange name and sort of lame." She flouted.

Zack was a bit irked at the tone of her remark.

"It actually means a lot to me. Do not mock it. That name is in remembrance of my beloved mentor." Zack's voice took on a more serious note and he was a bit loud.

"Oh! I see." The girl felt she had somehow offended him calling the name strange. Her cheerful smile started to fade. Zack noticed this. He did not mean to incur such a reaction on her and began to regret the harshness in his voice.

The ex-soldier rested his blade on his shoulders and thought of something that would rectify the current turn of events.

"So, do you want to hold my sword?' Zack asked, bringing back the cheerfulness and the former level of excitement back to her face.

Ruby Rose was overjoyed. She really loved weapons and this guy was actually letting her hold his. "Really, you'll let me hold it?"

"Sure, I don't see any harm in doing so"

Zack lowered Honour to the ground letting the tip rest on it while holding out the handle to her.

But no matter how much effort she put in, she was only able to barely lift it off the ground

"This is one heavy sword. How are you able to wield something this heavy?"

"Well I am pretty strong. Anyway, stronger than you" He then lifted the sword with his right hand and put in back on its sheath.

Ruby Rose puffed her cheeks and placed her hands on her hips to show her displeasure at that remark. Zack realized what he did and scratched the back of his head.

"So, your weapon. It's pretty big for someone your size. Who taught you to wield it?' The former soldier continued not wanting things to end on a sour note. He sort of wished he hadn't told that last sentence earlier making fun of her strength.

"It was my uncle Qrow who taught me how to use it. Before that, I was completely hopeless."

"Qrow!" That name shifted Zack's attention away from her and into his own thoughts.

"Now it makes sense. He too had a similar weapon. So that means, he is her uncle. Great, I meet a cute girl and she turns out to be the niece of a guy we pissed off long ago."

"Hello, are you listening? Mr em..?"

"Yes I am listening. It's just that I recollected hearing the name Qrow somewhere."

"You must have. He is a cool hunter and..."

"Crap!" Zack's mental senses tingled "Schnee alert"

"What the hell is a Schnee doing here?"

"Don't want her to see me. The younger one's got a bigger mouth and ego than the older one. Come on Zack, pull out."

The ex-soldier took a look around him and noticed Itachi standing near the entrance

"Sorry, scythe girl. I have to go now." Zack bid his adieu and turned towards the direction of Itachi who was patiently waiting for him.

"Wait. You didn't tell me your name." Ruby shouted in the back ground. But Zack was too immersed in the task of escape that he failed to hear her. All Ruby Rose saw was him vanishing away in the blink of an eye.

Ruby Rose felt a tinge of disappointment at his sudden departure. She had actually met a nice person to talk to. She let out a sigh and turned around, accidently colliding with the younger Shnee who had walked up behind her.

Zack gave a sly grin to Itachi who refused to look at him for a while.

After a brief moment of awkward silence Itachi shot a glance at his friend. "SO Zack. Done with your important conversation." Itachi's voice was laced with anger and sarcasm. He purposefully let Zack seep in the atmosphere as he was aware of the memories that it might invoke in him. But what he did not agree upon, was him wasting time talking to some random girl.

"Sorry about that caps. She started it and…"

"Did she remind you of Aerith, Zack?"

"Caps, how did you know?" Zack's eyes sparkled and his tone emitted an aura of surprise.

"It's actually really easy. Every cute girl you meet always reminds you of Aerith. So don't pretend to act surprised with my deduction."

Zack gave a sheepish grin as he scratched his head. "Caps, that was harsh." He realized how sarcastic Itachi was being.

Itachi smiled slightly at this. "Whatever, let's get going. Don't want to keep the others waiting."

X-X

"We have some pretty interesting students this year professor Ozpin." Glynda remarked while she went through a few transcripts she held in her hands.

"What is your opinion about them, professor?"

"Well, I have to agree Glynda. There are certainly a few interesting hopefuls this year." The headmaster of Beacon, Ozpin was in clear agreement with his associate. He held his coffee mug in his right hand while he gazed out through the window monitoring the new recruits who were now at the academy grounds.

"We have Pyrrha Nikos and also a certain Blake Belladonna. They seem to be among the best present. That is, if you leave out those four."

Ozpin turned towards his associate.

"I didn't expect them to show up at Beacon. James will be really crossed when he finds out his prodigies have decided to join Beacon." Ozpin added while he sipped on his coffee. The expression on his face, showed that they piqued his interest.

"We better not tell Ironwood anything until after the initiation."

Glynda continued after a brief pause. "But to show up now after disappearing for a year?"

Ozpin put down his coffee mug.

"Do you have any qualms about them attending Beacon, Glynda?" Ozpin questioned his second in command.

"I do not mind the other three but Mr. Acnologia has quite a bad reputation at Alsius. They had turned a blind eye to him only because he was highly gifted in combat. Other than that he barely passed in his academics. No to mention he has a history of attacking a professor. On top of that there is that incident with Qrow."

"I have heard about that. But he took out a Harbinger after that, didn't he?" "I personally think he knocked out the teacher to prevent him from harm."

Ozpin paused briefly before he sighed "Then Qrow is a different matter. I have to say I am surprised myself that one of them managed to severely injure Qrow. But from eye witness reports, Qrow started it. You know how he is when he is drunk?"

"I guess you could say so." Glynda's face showed she was far from satisfied with the explanation.

Ozpin deduced the doubts that clouded her mind. "Glynda dear, don't be so surprised. How often is it you see huntsmen in training take out an ss class grimm that even veteran huntsmen fail to. They clearly overlooked the incident. Who would let go of a prodigy from their hands?"

"I just hope that he doesn't end up causing much trouble. It seems he only listens to his teammates. If he snaps, they won't be able to restrain him. He is far stronger than the rest. Maybe Zack can keep up with him among the others." Glynda sighed.

Ozpin took another sip from his mug. "Don't assume things like that Glynda. I have watched some of their previous fights. It is obvious both Mr. Uchiha and Mr. Gohan are hiding their true strength. I have never seen a match in which they were even remotely expended. We have to remember that Itachi Uchiha was the one who easily beat Qrow, a veteran huntsman with vast experience."

"You don't say professor Ozpin? So according to you, Itachi Uchiha and Son Gohan may be stronger than Acnologia?" Glynda was taken aback. The tone of Ozpin's tone implied he was completely sure of his deduction.

"But is it okay to deduce that just from some previous matches?"

"It's not just the matches. Acnologia's records clearly shows he is highly arrogant and a big narcissist. If he respects them, it must mean he acknowledges their strength. They might have been childhood friends but you don't respect someone's strength unless they are stronger or equal in power to you."

"That seems plausible." Glynda Goodwitch did not notice to think about it like that. Now, it made sense to her.

"Let's see how things shape up." Ozpin added before Glynda could reply. The headmaster's countenance clearly showing how much interested he was in them.

"There are many things you are hiding aren't you team Izanagi?" Ozpin contemplated to himself while took another sip from his cup.

X-X

"Hey, Zack, Itachi. Over here." The familiar voice of the saiyan hybrid directed the duo's attention to where they were standing.

The initial plan was to discuss further on the plan while meeting at a secluded location. But it turns out that all student hopefuls had to assemble at the auditorium for further instructions and they did not want to be late. Itachi knew Gohan might have already figured it out and reached there. So he and Zack had decided to go straight to the auditorium.

"You took your time reaching here Uchiha, monkey brain" The dragon king voiced his displeasure while looking at Itachi when he said Uchiha and Zack when he said Monkey.

"Sorry about that" Itachi spoke "Zack here took his time conversing with some girl he met"

"As expected. He would do something foolish." Acnologia scoffed. _Why wasn't he allowed to break some bones when Zack could flirt with human girls?_

"Hey, tribal man. Talking with girls is not considered foolish. It's actually the normal thing to do as far as normal men are considered. Unlike you, who is an overgrown gecko in a teenager's body" The former soldier was a bit annoyed.

Acnologia did not take lightly to this comment. Itachi and Gohan had to hold them both back before they went at each other.

Something quickly came to Zack's mind. He calmed himself down and broke off Itachi's arms which were wrapped around his chest.

"Yes, by the way, before I forget, I have to tell you guys this. I was waiting till all of us were together."

The rest three of them leaned in to listen to what he had to say. Itachi was more curious out of the three. _What was it that he couldn't tell him earlier_?

"That girl I spoke to earlier was Qrow's niece. And I also saw the younger Schnee girl here." Zack had a serious demeanour as he spoke.

"And…" Gohan was the first one to break a short period of silence that followed.

"And what?" the former soldier first class was confused. 

"Oh! I see. That's bad." Itachi was the first one to understand what Zack said earlier was his so called important information. The other two looked at Itachi, then at each other's faces and then back again to Itachi. Now, they realised what it was.

"So, how is that bad news?" Acnologia was not amused at all. He had expected something bigger. Now he felt a blow on his pride for acting so curious to some stupid information that was of no concern to him. What did it matter? Qrow was drunk and he pissed them off some time ago. They retaliated as they saw fit. Did this guy actually mean that, this so called niece would try to avenge him? He would blast her away, if she even tried.

Zack figured out that the three of them had no clue on how that was bad news. Itachi had just put up a pretence of being concerned. Gohan tried his best to put up an act but he was horrible when it came to lying. Acnologia was straight forward as usual.

"So you guys seriously don't understand how that is bad news?" Zack was far from beguiled.

Gohan and Itachi had on a deadpanned expression while Acno looked like someone was trying to pick a fight with him.

"You guys are hopeless. Listen, the Schnee knows what my semblance is. So that means my secret's out. Then, Qrow's niece was cute. Since we pissed him off, I can't have a normal conversation with her."

The Uchiha and the saiyan hybrid sweat dropped while Acno had a cheeky grin.

"So what you meant by that is you can no longer go around stealing, and not flirt with some girl. I have to admit only a pea brained idiot like you would call it bad news." The dragon king expressed his disdain much to the annoyance of the former soldier.

Gohan had half a mind to say "Burnt" but held back on seeing the ex-soldier grit his teeth in aggravation.

"Don't call it stealing you asshole. It's my ability. Sorry, I don't have any hocus pocus with me unlike you." Zack was clearly irritated. Mainly because the others actually did not care about his so called ordeal. He wasn't an idiot, who couldn't realize Itachi's and Gohan's pretence. But what pissed him off most was Acnologia saying it straight to his face. In all honesty, Zack was initially overjoyed when he got valuable information _as he described it_. That joy was now blown back in his face.

"Did you call my Dragon Slayer magic, hocus pocus you monkey thrash." You don't insult magic. The dragon King does not take lightly to it whether its friend or foes.

This sudden outburst started attracting the attention of many students who were close by. Since it was the first day, the entire auditorium was pretty noisy, so not everyone paid heed to the noise. But those nearby who did was pretty much expecting a fight to break out soon. And it would have broken out too, if it was not for the other two who held them back.

"I'll … keep this brief" Luckily for the saiyan and the Uchiha, a man with white hair and who wore a green scarf had walked upto the microphone in the hall.

The attention of everyone present turned to the man. Everyone except Zack and Acno, both of them still giving threatening glances to each other.

"That is Ozpin" Itachi nudged Gohan gaining his notice. The saiyan hybrid, shook his head to indicate he understood, but did not say anything as he did not want to miss out what the man was about to say.

The headmaster of Beacon paused briefly to ensure that his words sunk in.

"You have travelled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life for the protection of the people. Ozpin went one his voice unchanging in pitch and without intonation. This made it harder to guess what he really felt.

"But all I see…"

"Who is this bossy lowlife? He is annoying as hell." Acnologia's voice which rose from the crowd made everyone present shift their attention to the source of it. The Dragon King actually did not say it aloud. But in the auditorium where there was complete silence except for the voice of Ozpin which broke through it, his voice laced with arrogance was clearly audible to all who were at the venue.

Now, the Dragon Slayer found himself, the centre of attention. The various stares he was getting actually made him feel embarrassed. He felt like his pride had been blown to bits. Gohan and Itachi put out awkward words of apology slightly bowing their heads time to time to everyone while Zack was laughing up a riot.

Fortunately, for the students, before the Dragon King was about to lose it, Ozpin overlooked the incident and continued "Let me finish what I left off. All I see among you ..."

Itachi Uchiha was now sure that Ozpin had done a thorough background check on them. He could easily guess that the Headmaster was expecting something like this from Acno.

Itachi shot a glance towards Gohan and confirmed that the saiyan hybrid too guessed likewise.

"It is upto you to make the first step." Ozpin concluded. Gohan noticed that the headmaster gave them a stare as he finished. A stare that indicated he was sort of interested in them.

"You notice that Itachi" Gohan turned towards the Uchiha who nodded in the affirmative.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight." Glynda took over after Ozpin had left. "Your initiation will be tomorrow. Be ready. You are dismissed for now."

The crowd of students started leaving the auditorium and made their way to the ballroom. After a few while only Itachi, Gohan, Acnologia, Zack and a few students remained.

Itachi scanned the area around him.

"What the hell was that for Acno?" He blared with his eyes glowing red.

The Black Dragon looked away with an expression indicating 'He was asking for it'.

"Well what's done is done. Let's just be happy that nothing bad happened." Gohan tried to calm down his friend. The Uchiha's anger failed to subside from his effort.

"That human scum was acting all high and mighty. You should be thankful I did not end him there." Acnologia shot back.

This was like adding fuel to the fire. Itachi rarely got angry and even when he did, he calmed down almost immediately. But now, he was clearly pissed off. Zack and Gohan held him by his arms when he threatened to take a kunai out of his pouch. Acnologia kept looking away from the scene.

"This guy is beyond help." Itachi simply sighed finally giving up. "Whatever let's just go to the ballroom." The captain of Izanagi felt it was just hopeless to continue on with the matter.

The Uchiha motioned at Zack and Gohan to follow him and began to walk away not giving any form of acknowledgement to Acnologia.

Zack put his arm over the Dragon King's shoulder pretending to drag him along as he began to follow Itachi. Gohan face palmed before he too moved towards the ballroom.

"Caps is seriously pissed." The Ex-soldier jibed in the ear of the dragon king.

Acnologia's face showed he somewhat regretted what he had done. He did not mind pissing off Ozpin but it bothered him that Itachi was disappointed.

X-X

"Now two of you don't start any trouble got it."

The ex-soldier and the dragon king nodded in unison. It was unlike Acnologia, but the small amount of regret he now possessed made him loosen his pride for a moment.

"On second thought, Gohan you stay here with Acno. Zack come with me." Itachi's tone had an authoritarian demeanour. That coupled with his anger resurfacing made even the saiyan hybrid flinch at his instructions.

Zack wasn't in agreement with the plan. "Caps, I want to stay here. I am too tired." He pleaded but it fell on deaf ears.

Itachi looked him in the eye with his sharingan glaring. Any opposition Zack might have had melted away after this. Even Acnologia felt a bit intimidated.

"Now, let's go." He motioned to Zack. "And Gohan, please make sure this _Dragon_ does not do anything stupid." Itachi slightly grit his teeth when he said _Dragon._

"Leave it to me Itachi." Gohan retorted. He looked back at Acnologia who looked away when he met his gaze. Gohan slightly sweat dropped. The situation was slightly awkward.

Zack slightly elbowed Itachi in the ribs to gain his attention.

"Caps you were right" gaining his attention, he motioned him towards a few girls on the other side. Itachi facepalmed at this. He did not expect this. The Uchiha procrastinated that he was going to make him issue an apology.

"Whatever let's go. Acno sorry about that." Itachi blurted out before leaving with Zack.

"I haven't fallen so low as to need your pity, Uchiha." Acnologia replied in his usual arrogant tone. "By the way, get us something to eat when you return."

Itachi waved back in return while Zack gave him a thumbs up.

"Well, to be honest nothing went according to plan except the initiation being tomorrow." Gohan chuckled earning a small grin from the dragon king.

"Yo guys. Nice to meet you. Man, you really killed the mood with that" a blonde teen came up to the duo.

Gohan back while Acno laid back on his sleeping bag not bothering to engage in a conversation.

"Nice to meet you too err"

"Arc, Jaune Arc." He answered excitedly.

Nice to meet you Jaune Arc, I am Gohan, Son Gohan." The saiyan hybrid extended his hand towards the blonde teen.

"Your friend over there is Acnologia, right?" Jaune Arc motioned to the Dragon Slayer who laid in his sleeping bag with his eyes closed pretending to be asleep.

"Yes. I guess he is pretty popular. Huh." Gohan scratched the back of his head. He wasn't that surprised people recognized the Dragon Slayer. His long blue hair was a give-away to who he was. Combined with his reputation, he was well known in Remnant among the hunter hopefuls. But this reputation also deferred many from approaching him casually, except certain bold ones.

Jaune Arc glanced over to Acnologia and assumed he was sound asleep.

"Well, I haven't seen him before. Only heard about him." "He's got a pretty bad attitude hasn't he?" Jaune remarked recklessly.

Acnologia clearly heard this. The senses of a Dragon was not one to be underestimated. The dragon slayer opened his left eye and shot a threatening stare at the blonde who felt his heart was going to explode. The look itself made him shake in his boots.

"Please don't annoy him. It gets pretty bad when he gets annoyed." Gohan motioned to the blonde to shush. He then gave a pleading look to Acno to overlook that. The Dragon King simply went back to his initial pretence of sleeping.

"Sorry about that. It just came out." Jaune Arc tried his best to issue an apology.

"Don't sweat on it. Just make sure you don't say anything like this in front of him in the future." The saiyan hybrid replied with a goofy smile.

"Can I ask you guys, why you are here at Beacon and not at the Atlas academy?"

Gohan paused for a moment trying to come up with a lie.

"Well, we just thought Beacon was the best. So it made sense to join Beacon. We spent a year travelling around to improve ourselves. And then decided to attend Beacon." To an experienced eye, Gohan's lie would have been laid bare. But Jaune Arc did not have any experience nor did he view the reason with a discerning eye. So even Gohan who was horrible at lying succeeded in deceiving the blonde.

The only thing that stood out as far as Jaune was concerned was that Gohan told him things he did not inquire about. He started to feel a bit uneasy around them. After Acno's death stare, he had lost all the confidence he had on earlier.

"Anyway, it was nice meeting you Gohan. We'll see tomorrow for the initiation. Please tell your friend I said sorry." The blonde waved goodbye as he walked away. Gohan could see that the blonde was sweating a bit from the strange encounter.

What struck out the most about him was that he was really weak compared to the others. Gohan had earlier sensed the power levels of everyone present. He deducted Ozpin and Glynda to be the strongest among the crowd. While certain students also stood out. While this guy practically emitted no aura signature. The saiyan hybrid couldn't understand why. Maybe he was really good at hiding his strength or actually really weak.

X-X

Itachi Uchiha had a well thought out plan that he communicated to his comrades before they arrived at Beacon. He predicted things would go smoothly as he had envisioned. Due to several reasons, that plan had failed in its execution stage. But what he did not expect at all was having a face to face conversation with the Headmaster of Beacon, Ozpin at the grounds of the academy.

"So Mr. Uchiha, I have to say I am a bit surprised you decided to join Beacon." Ozpin commented. Itachi could notice that this man was cunning and highly experienced. His words nor his body language gave out anything regarding his intentions. He was now sure of one fact, he had gravely underestimated the man.

'Well professor Ozpin, Beacon is the best among the bunch. Me and my friends felt that we should attend only the best academy." Itachi lied straight to Ozpin's face. He was an experienced Shinobi who was once a member of both the Anbu and the Akatsuki. Hiding his intentions and his true emotions was child's play to him.

Ozpin simply gave a friendly smile at the comment. "Of course, it is your choice to choose whichever academy you want."

"But might I add, James would be really mad at me when he hears his best prodigies ended up here at Beacon." The headmaster of Beacon chuckled.

Itachi gave a light grin in reply simultaneously looking over to Zack for a brief moment. The ex-soldier was given instructions to keep his semblance activated to sense aura in case they ran into something like this.

"In all due respect Professor Ozpin, we have not yet undergone the initiation, so isn't it too early to say we have joined Beacon?"

Ozpin gave out a slight laugh as he brought his coffee mug to his lips. "You are right Mr. Uchiha. It is still too early to say. But I wish you all the best."

Itachi Uchiha had more than enough experience with all kinds of people. He could infer Ozpin was not putting up a façade. He might have his doubts but he was a caring individual deep down who never intended malice. These queries he possessed must stem from his concern for his students and maybe for a greater cause. But this man knew a lot of things about this world that was hidden from the public eye.

Itachi was now convinced about Ozpin. He might be the one person they can trust to act accordingly in this world. All these years they never met anyone who they could trust aside from themselves.

"Well, it's time for us to get going professor. It was a pleasure to meet you." Itachi voiced as he prepared to leave.

"The pleasure was all mine Mr. Uchiha. And please do not end up causing a lot of unwanted destruction here. Glynda already has a lot to put up with." Ozpin added while he took a sip from his mug.

"Nothing of the sorts would happen. I promise you that." Itachi shot back a bit surprised why such a request was put forward.

"And please refrain from repeating what happened with old Qrow."

This statement made the Uchiha stop in his tracks. Even Zack who had been silent throughout the entirety of the conversation gave out an exclamation of surprise.

Itachi glanced at Zack briefly before looking upto Ozpin "This Qrow is he an associate of yours, professor?"

"As a matter of fact he is Mr. Uchiha. Actually, he is a very close and important associate of mine."

Itachi now understood why the headmaster of Beacon viewed them with such scrutiny. He should have held back his rage at that time. The Uchiha grit his teeth in frustration. Qrow had seen him use the sussano'o. It was clearly understandable, Ozpin doubting their real strength.

Itachi's face took a more serious demeanour. "To be frank professor, your associate was drunk and he initiated the confrontation."

Ozpin again took a sip from his mug while his eyes showed he was smiling. "It's clearly understandable. Old Qrow really is nasty when he is drunk. But still you Mr. Uchiha gave him quote a brutal beating. Let me say, very few huntsmen I know can do something like that to an experienced hunter like Qrow."

The tone of Ozpin's voice slightly shook the Uchiha. He began to wonder if he made a mistake coming here. But now it was too late. If they left now, it would only add more fuel to the fire.

Itachi faked a smile "Please convey my apologies to him professor." Itachi slightly bowed his head. Zack too repeated the gesture.

"Now if you'll excuse us. The others are waiting." Itachi slightly bowed again as he and Zack walked away.

"Quite an interesting bunch they are." Ozpin mused to himself as he continued sipping from his mug. "It seems they are not a bad lot. Just four teenagers trying to find their way in the world."

"But still, they are hiding something."

"Looks like things are shaping upto be an interesting year."

X-X

The walk back to the ballroom was slow and incredibly dull. Zack purposefully kept his mouth shut during the conversation between Itachi and Ozpin as he did not want to blurt out something inappropriate. The ex-soldier continued to maintain his silence seeing that Itachi was lost deep in thoughts. Anyone could guess that the Uchiha was pondering about the next step now that most of his initial assumptions were proven wrong.

Confirming his guess, Itachi was in truth pondering about everything that had transpired. It was no use now to run away. It would just arouse more suspicion. He knew they needed a strong ally in this world and Ozpin fit the bill perfectly. But the man was more cunning and cautious than he imagined. He seemed pretty trustworthy and if he had to guess, Ozpin too appeared on the lookout for powerful allies. Maybe in time, he could enclose further details to the man, only after he made sure the man was completely trustworthy.

The duo had reached their destination by the time Itachi came to a conclusion.  
Acno appeared to be dozing while Gohan was busy doing something on his scroll. Seeing them approach, the saiyan hybrid looked up and waved to them.

"Guess what, G-man. We ran into Ozpin a while ago." Zack said as he threw a bag containing eatables to an Acnologia who now chose to wake up when he sensed their presence.

The Dragon King did not like the way he handled that but he was really hungry to be bothered about it. When he became a dragon, he was unable to taste normal food and had since forgotten about its taste. Now, in his human form, it all came back to him. One thing, he did not try to hide was his appetite which was second only to Gohan's.

Gohan himself took a pack of chips out of the bag.

"So, Itachi how did it go?" He asked the Uchiha as he tore open the packet.

"Let me just say, I seriously underestimated the man." Itachi responded while he seated himself on the floor.

He then began to explain what he thought about the situation to the others.

A moment of silence prevailed after Itachi concluded.

"So, I guess the plan to remain low was a failure." Gohan was the first to break the silence.

Itachi gave a sigh of disappointment. "But I don't think we are in any trouble. We just have to gain his trust."

"I told you earlier that this plan was doomed to fail. And the most important fact was because you beat up that scythe wielding human. See, I am not the one to blame, am I?" Acno flashed a cocky grin.

"Well, let bygones be bygones. We just have to do our best. To be honest, I myself was not much in agreement about laying low. After all that had come to pass, I believe we deserve to enjoy a bit." Gohan's conclusion earned a nod of approval from both Itachi and Acnologia.

"And Zack" The saiyan hybrid turned to the ex-soldier. "Why are you so silent? It's highly unlike you."

"He is a bit disappointed that no one here recognized him, especially the women folk." Itachi was the one to answer.

Zack paused fiddling with the burger in his hand.

"Hey, I am not disappointed. Don't go assuming things. As a matter of fact, no one recognized any of you big shots." Zack reposted holding up his burger up high while crushing it to a pulp.

"Yes, we can see how not disappointed you are." Itachi chuckled.

"Actually Zack." Gohan cut in.

"There were actually many people who recognized Acno and came up to meet him." He added while he placed a hand on the Dragon King's shoulder earning a haughty smirk from the latter.

The expression on Zack's face was priceless. He was devastated.  
After failing at his effort for a counter, he just curled up in his sleeping bag and pretended to doze off.

Gohan and Itachi had a good laugh. Even Acno couldn't help but produce a smile at his antics.

The Uchiha let out a yawn as he too sunk back on his sleeping bag. "Ok guys, I'm going off to sleep. Good night."

"Good Night Itachi" Gohan replied as he fell back on his makeshift bed.

The Dragon King gave a nod and continued to devour his food. Tomorrow's initiation sort of bothered him. In all honesty, he desperately hoped they would end up on the same team. He actually missed them when they were not around.

X-X

 **HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER AS MUCH AS I ENJOYED WRITING IT.**

 **FEEL FREE TO LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS AT THE REVIEW SECTION OR PM ME.**

 **IF YOU DEEM MY STORY AS WORTH FOLLOWING, GO AHEAD AND HIT THE FOLOW BUTTON TOO.**

 **SO, WE PART NOW ONLY TO MEET AGAIN.**


	4. REFORMING IZAG

**HELLO GUYS. I AM BACK WITH A NEW CHAPTER OF IZANAGI. LET ME FIRST THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR CONTINOUS SUPPORT.**

Before I begin, I want to give you guys' details about their weapons. I did not want to include their descriptions between the story, mainly because except Zack and Itachi no one uses it unless in rare circumstances.

 **Zack's weapon:** I have explained earlier. It is basically the buster sword with the only difference being the handle is a deep purple colour. It is named Honour.

 **Itachi's weapon:** It is a larger version of the kunai knife. Itachi wields two of them. The blades are 30 cm long and the handle is 10 cm long.

Both have black handles.

The colour of the blade on the one he wields on his right hand is blue in the middle and red on its edges.

The blade on his left has red in the middle with blue around its edges.

They are called Shine (Right) and Shadow (Left).

 **Gohan's weapon:** It is an exact replica of the sword he had on when he trained with Piccolo. With an exception that it is longer to suit his size. He calls it Legacy.

 **Acno's weapon:** They are a pair of black gauntlets that serve no special purpose. The dragon king wields them just for show. He calls it The Slayer.

 **Now, all of their weapons are not of the hybrid type. They are simply ones with no additional features.**

That brings us to questions and queries.

 **1.** **I got suggestions from 'THE HOLY GRAIL' and from 'A Fan' on pairings.**

Both of you guys suggested Zack x Ruby and also Gohan x Yang.

Now, **Zack x Ruby** : I can see it happening. I actually went and added a little part about it after reading your suggestions. But please do not expect anything exceptional and also it won't progress real fast. There are a lot of other stuff I have to cover before I can concentrate on that.

 **Gohan x Yang** : don't know. I actually don't think Gohan is anyway the romantic type. He is just too nice. Moreover, this is future Gohan and unlike his past counterpart, he is still a bit traumatized from everything that had happened to him. But maybe it may happen. But I can't give any promises because I have already written 5 additional chapters where there are nothing on this pairing. All of them are pending editing. Sorry if I disappointed you.

 **Itachi x Weiss** : Maybe. It would depend on how my story pans out. But I have to say, it is a pretty good suggestion.

 **Itachi x Pyrrha** : Not going to happen. It would be boring if this happened.

 **Acnologia x Blake** : Honestly, I don't understand why you suggested this. Never ever gonna happen. I could never bring myself to pair The Dragon King with anyone. So, no. It would be plain horrible if I actually go and make him all lovey dovey. Again sorry to disappoint you but no pairings for Acnologia. Never gonna happen.

Let me add again that I am really bad at writing romances and romantic encounters. So please bear with me if they seem awkward.

 **2.** **Dear Pickle Rick**. Where did you get any indication that my story might have Yaoi or Yuri in it in the future? It's just gross. I rather light myself on fire than have Yaoi on my fic. SO, have no fears. Even if someone puts a gun to my head, I would never ever ever put Yaoi in my story, and also Yuri for that matter. This story deals with friendship as one of its major themes. These thoughts and flashbacks that I include in my fic are only there to showcase the depth of character. I like exploring the different emotions of my characters but please don't compare it with something like Yaoi.

PS: The four of them share a strong bond and are like brothers. Please do not mistake it for something else.

 **3**. Yes, ' **A Fan'**. Itachi would still have the MS overuse problem. It is something that cannot be avoided unlike his sickness.

 **4.** Yes, ' **Dark Empyrean' and 'A Fan'** , I have been thinking about bringing other characters into my story. But in all honesty I haven't decided upon whom to bring. And also whether I should bring characters as allies or as nemesis. So, I cannot actually confirm on that. But if you guys have any suggestions feel free to PM me. Only condition is that they have to be either from DB, Fairy Tail, Naruto or FF7.

 **5**. One more thing I forgot to mention before. Acnologia does not have a last name. I thought about many different ones but it all seemed lame. I thought of Slayer, King, Black, Dragon, Apocalypse and all. But, I guess Acnologia itself is awesome in itself.

 **DISCALIMER:** **DRAGON BALL Z, FAIRY TAIL, NARUTO, FINAL FANTASY 7 SERIES AND RWBY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT THIS FANFICTION AND MY OC'S** **.**

X-X

Gohan had woken up late the next morning. If it was not for the rays of the morning sun that fell on his face, the saiyan would have continued with his peaceful slumber. For over a decade he had not known peace. Every day was a fight for survival. The entirety of the hopes of his people rested upon his shoulders and sleep was the last thing he could hope for. A peaceful sleep was like asking for fresh water in the hottest desert. But for these years save for some rare occasions, he was lucky to enjoy peaceful sleep every night. Honestly, he wished he could just lay there a bit longer without any care in the world.

Acnologia was seated beside the saiyan hybrid fully dressed in his combat apparel which was similar to the one he had always worn. The high collared long black cloak and baggy black pants. But unlike before, he did not have on his draconian markings or the sash around his waist. The red claws around his neck was also missing. Contrary to the others, he did not require much sleep nor did he sleep that much. He was always the first one to rise, but when surrounded by people like this he would continue to lie down on his bed until one of his comrades had awoken. This practise of his, he continued again today. Currently, he kept his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep.

"Good Morning Acno" Gohan's sleep laden voice gained the attention of the dragon slayer.

The Dragon king opened his eyes and gave him a smirk. "Good Morning Gohan." Acno returned the greeting while eh cracked his knuckles. His tone still inexpressive as always.

The saiyan hybrid returned a smile as he lazily tried to get upon his feet. Stretching his arms slowly as he did so. His efforts were half-hearted at best and he was only making progress at snail's pace. Even now Gohan wished he could go back to sleep.

Acnologia's face started showing a bit of annoyance at the Saiyan hybrid's antics. "We are running pretty late. You better hurry it up." He barked at him growing impatient at the slow movement of things.

This remark made Gohan pick up the pace. The demi saiyan knew he was acting a bit childish. But in this world away from the demons of his past, it somehow gave him the liberty to act a bit childish and goof around. For some reason, he felt really happy today.

He got upon his feet and now fully stretched his limbs. "Where are the others?" He inquired between yawns.

Acnologia got upon his feet and rolled his neck. "The Uchiha's gone to pick up your weapon and Monkey brain went to get some breakfast." The dragon king answered as he tossed Gohan his change of clothes. "Now you better get it moving fast. The last thing we need is making the Uchiha all angry again."

Gohan couldn't help but chuckle at the remark. "Is that a bit of remorse I see?" He teased him lightly, flexing his muscles as he did so.

The dragon king was a bit perplexed and embarrassed at this. He merely looked away, folding his arms as he did so.

"Don't stand here making foolish comments. Go and get ready already." His voice echoed of annoyance born out of embarrassment.

"Okay okay. I'm going." Gohan giggled as tossed his combat clothes which consisted of his orange gi and his dark blue, short sleeved undershirt over his right shoulder and then took out his dark blue boots and placed them near his sleeping bag. Then wrapping a towel around his waist and taking a bar of soap in his left arm, he headed toward the showers waving goodbye to Acno.

Acnologia waved in return and he went back to his initial position on the ground. His eyes closely followed Gohan's movements until he was lost in the crowd. He sighed to himself and closed his eyes again.

Somehow, earlier he could sense a bit of etherion on the school grounds. Etherion was mandatory if one was to use magic. But for him who had used magic for centuries and who had mastery over all the elements, etherion did not act as a hindrance to his magic. The dragon king could not wrap his head around what he had sensed. The faint trace he sensed earlier had now vanished. There was only two possibilities the dragon slayer could think of, etherion used to exist in this world or a small amount of it had always exited here. He had at some rare instances, felt the presence of etherion and magical power but they were either too faint or vanished before he could pin point their location. These reasons made him hold back from informing the others of his doubts. Acnologia had heard stories and myths about some maidens in this world but passed it off as nothing more than folklore but back in Earthland, dragons too were deemed creatures of myths and legends. He wished to have solid proof before he engage the others on this. They had enough to do as it was and this did not need to eat away there time.

"Maybe I'm just imagining things." He reassured himself. "Surely, there is no way etherion or magic could be present in this place."

He opened his eyes again to see if any of the other three had returned. This was met with disappointment and he resumed his initial stance.

The Black Dragon was always alone by himself for several centuries. He was all alone during his flight for survival in the beginning and also during his killing spree against the Dragons. Never did he have any allies or comrades. But now, this solitude actually bothered him. He could never perceive why? Somewhere in him, he wished one of them would soon return. He was not much of a talker. However he enjoyed being amongst his comrades, even Zack, though he would never admit that.

"Guess those guys are really growing on me."

X-X

Zack Fair or Zack Knight as he had renamed himself, now stood at the cafeteria on the grounds of the academy. He stood at the cafeteria fully changed into his combat apparel with his beloved sword, Honour strapped to his back.

After some time consuming exploration, Zack was able to get his hands on combat gear that closely resembled the one he wore during his days at Soldier. The dark blue uniform was adorned with black boots and black gloves. He also had IZAG printed on the upper part of both his gloves which represented the first letters of the names of his friends and himself. This was in symbolization of the deep love he harboured towards his comrades. He still wore that silver ring on his left ear like he did during his days as a Shinra soldier. 

The ex-soldier was given the task of fetching breakfast for the team and return to the ballroom. In all honesty, he preferred to have his breakfast together with all of them in the cafeteria itself. But Itachi had been a little agitated since the incident with Ozpin yesterday and so he did not put up any signs of resistance. Unlike him, he knew Itachi was more on the cautious side with tons of experience dealing with all kinds of people. He himself was a frontal fighter who did not bother much with planning and strategy while contrary to him, Itachi was a genius at formulating strategies and reading the real intent in the hearts of everyone. The former soldier admired Itachi's leadership skills and also held in high regard his planning and deductions. Never did he question the Uchiha's judgements unless in extremely rare scenarios. However, presently he felt that his 'caps' was worrying a bit too much and needed to take it easy and let loose. Zack was a bit bothered Itachi was overthinking things too far.

Sincerely, he did not know if Itachi was aware or not, that he understood why they had taken a year off to travel around Remnant. His captain did not disclose the entirety of the reasons why he did that. Laying low, Ironwood digging into their past and all was just a charade to cloak the real reason.

7 years ago, they were grown men in the bodies of their 10 year old selves. They knew nothing about this new world they found themselves upon. In any way, he imagined they were still in a way children. But after their tryst at Alsius, they were teenagers equipped with all the knowledge about this world. This was why Itachi took a year off in pretence of those reasons. All of them were capable of making their own choices now. Itachi was in reality giving them a choice to continue together as a group or walk their own paths in the world. He was indirectly telling them they were free to do as they pleased and he would not hold them back. Zack was well aware of this. He knew Gohan and Acnologia had also figured it out at some point in their travels. Even though Itachi did not show it, his sudden shift in emotions during the early months was a clear indicator that he feared of the harsh reality that may fall upon their group. Itachi would be irritated and lose his cool even at slight provocations. Though he did not vent out his frustration towards them, it was evident in the way he lashed out at his foes.

Deep down inside, the ex-soldier felt himself bleeding, picturing of the possibility that they would part ways. Every day, unaware to the rest he used to pray for them to stick together. If one of them left, Zack didn't know what he would do. He was afraid maybe Acnologia would leave the group. They would still continue to be friends but he did not want to imagine the four of them not together. The first three months, he found himself unable to even sleep properly.

But, it did not end up that way. After the first three months, all of them began to show signs that they had no intentions of parting ways. Albeit the reality that none of them told openly they knew Itachi's real motives, their actions and words during those time clearly echoed their sentiments. Zack understood those and he was happy beyond compare. That day he had decided that he would always be there to lighten up the mood in the group. He could not let his worries and troubles hinder them.

One thing that sometimes haunted him was the fate of his parents. He had run away from home to join Soldier. Those four years when he was Shinra's test subject, his parents were not aware of his state. They never knew if he was dead or alive.

When he was a kid, his mother used to tell him stories about the tortoise knight. The tortoise's psychology would prevent it from moving backwards. So the tortoise knight, though he is not strong, keeps pushing forward and only knows how to walk ahead leaving all his sorrows and hatreds behind. This was why he changed his last name to Knight. Even if Zack Fair was the name his parents had given him, he changed it to Zack Knight as he felt it would help him carry their hopes and dreams with him. It was like him, even when he felt himself crushed by the weight of his past, he would always keep walking forward, never being a slave to it. Even if he found himself not strong enough to protect his comrades, he would still fight with all he had.

In his group, where the past continued to haunt two of his comrades, he had undertaken the responsibility of being the merry and lively one. There was no time for him to waste time pondering about his worries and sorrows. They meant more to him than his life. He had to be there for them at all times.

The cafeteria was pretty crowded and noisy when he reached there. It was just less than half an hour away for the initiation and many of the student hopefuls had already prepared themselves to face whatever was in store. He himself had risen up early but due to the fact that he took his sweet time reaching there, he had to now deal with the crowd. Fortunately, there was no big queue to deal with for placing his order as most of the teens present had already obtained their food.

Zack hoped that Itachi would overlook him getting late. He seriously did not want to incur his wrath especially now, when he was really frustrated. Acnologia's anger was child's play when compared to Itachi's. Unlike the dragon slayer, the sharingan user seldom lost his cool. But on occasions he did so, it wasn't pretty. Even Acnologia himself feared Itachi's wrath. What scared the ex-soldier the most was those eyes that turned blood red when he was angry. No matter how long he had seen them, they never ceased to give him the creeps.

Sighing to himself, he made a beeline towards the counter and brought everything he needed and ended up carrying quite a big parcel in his hands. Gohan and Acno were heavy eaters and he himself too could eat a lot. Last night, they had to make due with chips and burgers. So, all of them were really hungry this morning. Zack chuckled to himself, wondering whether this much food would be enough to satisfy them.

The handsome teen warrior with his spiky black hair was attracting quite a lot of attention from the fairer sex. Zack wasn't the one to complain about getting attention. He loved it and honestly was a bit of a show off. But now he stood there adjusting the single lock of hair that kept falling on his cheek, pretending to remain oblivious to all this. He did not have the time to respond to _his admirers_ , as he liked to call them. Everything paled in comparison to Itachi's wrath.

As Zack was prepared to teleport away, a girl in red walked upto him and gently tapped him on the shoulders.

He looked over his shoulder to see the same Qrow's niece from yesterday.

"Hi..." she nervously waved to him.

"Hey there scythe girl. Came here to grab some breakfast?"

Ruby's face brightened up. "It's not scythe girl, its Ruby actually. Ruby Rose." She replied now gaining a bit of confidence, blissful that Zack recognized her.

"Ruby. That's a cute name." he replied gaining a slight blush from her.

"Anyways. I gotta go. Don't want to get caps enter rage mode." Zack turned towards the exit and prepared to leave.

"Wait." Ruby called out "You didn't tell me your name." 

The ex-soldier scratched in head in slight embarrassment. "OH! I didn't, did I? Sorry about that."

"It's Zack, Zack F… Knight, Zack Knight." Zack turned towards her and extended his hand towards the girl who accepted the gesture and shook it.

Ruby stood there for a moment staring at his face.

"Wow, they are pretty." Ruby said with her eyes wide open.

"What is?" The former Soldier was a bit dazed at this sudden compliment.

Ruby realized what she just said and quickly looked away slightly blushing. "I meant your eyes. Your eyes are really pretty." She added quite embarrassed.

Zack went blank for a moment. This took him back to the first date he had with Aerith. She too had mentioned about how pretty his eyes were. These eyes of his, due to the effects of the mako energy injected into his body, were indeed a sight to behold.

'Hello, Zack? You there" Ruby waved in front of his face in an attempt to snap him back to reality.

"Well, Thank You, I guess." Zack replied scratching his chin as he looked away.

"You too have pretty eyes. They are a beautiful silver." The ex-soldier now leaned in close to her.

The hooded teen's blush increased tenfold at the remark. "Than... Thank You" She muttered out shifting her gaze towards the floor.

Zack noticed that the conversation was getting a bit awkward. On top of that he was getting late.

"Okay, Ruby. I gotta get going. It was nice meeting you." Zack lifted the bag over his shoulder and followed a small crowd that was heading out of the cafeteria while waving goodbye to the teen.

"Okay bye. See you at the initiation." But Zack had already disappeared into the crowd before Ruby Rose could finish with her sentence.

X-X

Itachi Uchiha took out Gohan's weapon from his locker while his own was sheathed in his waist band. He swinged the sword over his shoulder and then strapped it to his back. Anyone who had any experience of dealing with people could easily understand the Uchiha was highly agitated. His experience with Ozpin being the main cause for this.

Itachi purposefully did not wake up Gohan as he knew how much peaceful sleep evaded the saiyan hybrid. The sharingan user himself was trained at a young age to be a shinobi. He could go days without sleep. Unlike the half saiyan, he was not forced into being a fighter.

Though he enjoyed the peace this world offered to him, his mind was always occupied by the thoughts of his comrades. Ever since it was decided that he would be the leader of their group, Itachi had taken upon himself the responsibility of their well-being. He would go to any lengths to ensure the safety of his friends. All of them deserved a life away from all the ghosts of their pasts.

He still had doubts if he did the right thing by coming to Beacon. Ozpin proved to be a different kettle of fish than he had imagined. He believed Ozpin intended no malice but unless he was sure of his true intentions, he couldn't trust the man. Itachi didn't know if Ozpin would prove to be a threat to their peaceful existence. These very thoughts were troubling him at the moment.

"Hey, Itachi." The Uchiha felt a gentle tap on his shoulder from behind which broke him away from his train of thoughts.

Itachi turned towards the source of the greeting.

"Hey, Gohan. Finally awake?" Itachi greeted with a slight smile.

Gohan had finished with the showers and was heading back when he saw Itachi standing near the lockers.

"What can I say? It was a good sleep." Gohan grinned. "Let's head back, shall we?"

Itachi tossed Gohan his weapon.

"Sure. I just preparing to head back." He added as he prepared to leave his present spot.

Gohan easily deciphered that Itachi was troubled with so many different thoughts clouding his mind. There wasn't the usual cheerfulness in his voice. He very well understood the Uchiha had shouldered upon himself the responsibility of ensuring their happiness. But in all honesty at the present situation, he felt his friend was just taking things too far. Ozpin's words somehow had a big impact on him. In all honesty, the saiyan hybrid did not think of it a big deal to fret upon.

"Itachi" Gohan laid a hand on the Uchiha's shoulder. "Just relax buddy."

Itachi Uchiha simply smiled at the comment.

Gohan made Itachi cease walking and turned to him. "There was a dear friend of mine who once told me that I should relax and enjoy my life. He told me that I have done all my worrying in the past and so I have to use this chance to live the life I never could. Do you know who he was?"

"It was me, wasn't it?" Itachi chuckled with the colour now returning to his face.

"Yes. It was you. And now that you is worrying about such a petty thing." Gohan added.

"It's just that I …" Itachi found himself at a loss of words. He couldn't find words to express what he actually felt.

Gohan went up and stood right in front of Itachi. "I know how you feel. You are just confused on what to do. But in truth you are overthinking things. If worse comes to wear, we'll have each other's backs. Do not fret over some guy you just met. "

"And Itachi, no one's gonna do anything to us. Ozpin just has doubts about our origins. He's not gonna do something that would harm us. Don't waste your time being anxious about that. Let's just relax and live our lives for what it's worth. I know this might be strange coming from me, but after all that's transpired we deserve this." Gohan looked the Uchiha straight in the eye as he spoke.

"Maybe you are right." Itachi replied after a small pause. "I am just worrying too much."

"And don't think even for a moment we blame you for deciding to enter Beacon. Whatever happens, we will always trust your judgement and the decisions you make. You are our brave captain after all. But for now let's just sit back and enjoy the ride as Zack always says."

Itachi couldn't help beam at the saiyan hybrid's words. "Yes you are right. Let's"

"If you are still worried, I can give you a piggy back ride back to our spot to cheer you up." Gohan asked jokingly.

"I'd rather hang myself than bear that embarrassment." The Uchiha shot back which made the half saiyan burst out in laughter.

.

X-X

"Well both of you took your time returning back" Acnologia was really pestered. His annoyance clearly indicated by the tone of his voice.

Gohan and Itachi ceased with their laughing and put up an apologetic face.

"Aww, just say you missed us, tribal man." Zack added further fuelling the dragon king's foul mood.

Acnologia simply scoffed and looked away. Zack was still giggling, but his giggling was stopped when he saw Itachi's stare fixated at him.

"Zack why were you so late?" Itachi had his hands on his hips as he raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't late. I got back a long time ago." The ex-soldier pleaded his cause.

"Zack, we saw you pass us just a few seconds ago" Gohan sweat dropped as he answered.

Zack folded his arms and looked away "Well that wasn't me."

"Well, whatever let's just eat something. I am really hungry." Itachi sighed and reached for the bag in the former soldier's hand.

Both Gohan and Acnologia nodded in consent and joined in.

"Don't start without me." Zack too entered into the fray.

This messy breakfast session where food was flying everywhere was interrupted by the voice of Glynda Goodwitch which was heard over the intercom.

"Will all first year students please report to the Beacon cliff for initiation?" Her voice demanded. "I repeat, all first year students report to the Beacon cliff at once."

"Wait, now. I am not done eating." Zack complained as he swallowed a piece of bacon, surprisingly gaining a nod of approval from the Dragon Slayer. Acnologia could never enjoy the taste of normal food ever since he turned into a dragon. Now back in his human self, the dragon king could relish the sensations that for so long had evaded him. The physical sensations and consequences of being a Dragon did not carried over.

"Then, let's get this thing over with quickly and get back to breakfast." Itachi cracked his knuckles with a smirk plastered on his face.

"WO, someone seems pumped and I have to say rather unexpectedly." Zack voiced his surprise.

"Quit making stupid jokes and follow me. Or do you want to be left behind in the dust." Itachi grinned. Unlike most people thought, the Uchiha did have a sense of humour which he rarely exhibited.

Zack gripped Honour and arched his back. "Is that a challenge I sense?"

Gohan was glad that Itachi had lightened up a bit. He saw that the Dragon King also shared his opinion though he did his best to conceal it. The saiyan hybrid too stretched his muscles and prepared to face whatever challenges was in store for them.

X-X

Beacon cliff was a very steep cliff which led to a grimm infested forest known as the emerald forest. Each of the student hopefuls stood on a square platform and Itachi, Gohan, Acnologia and Zack were no exceptions. The four of them stood among the other hopefuls. While two had a serious expression on them, the other two had totally different demeanours. One was seemingly acting too cheerful and the other too irritated.

The headmaster of Beacon, Ozpin stepped up in front of the student hopefuls. "For years you have trained to become warriors"

"And today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest" Ozpin added as he eyed each of the hopefuls with a gentle look while giving extra attention towards each of the so called former Atlas prodigies.

Then Glynda Goodwitch, the second in charge of Beacon academy took charge of the situation. "I''m sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams."

Goodwitch paused momentarily to observe the varied reactions of the student hopefuls. It was mostly silent, seeing as how Ozpin and Glynda together created a very commanding presence. Only a very few nodded in acknowledgement, while many others seemed too tensed. But a certain dragon slayer gave her a cold stare and a certain ex-soldier gave her a grinning 'thumbs up' when their eyes met which made her s\narrow her eyes at them.

"Well, allow us to put an end to your doubts and confusions. Each of you will be assigned teammates today itself." She added choosing now to ignore them.

Ozpin now stepped up continuing where Professor Glynda Goodwitch left off. "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time at Beacon, so it is on your best interests to be paired with someone with whom you can work with."

Zack could hear a few groans coming from some of the others present voicing their displeasure at this. He looked towards his teammates standing next to him. Itachi who was on his right had a serious expression on his face. Gohan beside the Uchiha was listening intently to the instructions. Acnologia actually had a tensed look after the part about assigning teams was made, which made the ex-soldier chuckle slightly. At any rate, he had to remain alert and activate telepathy once the instructions were laid out.

"That being said, the first person with whom you make eye contact after landing will be your partner for the next four years." Itachi felt his eye twitch at this information. That meant he had to make his moves carefully.

Zack still kept looking around not paying much heed to the instructions. His gaze met that of the crimsonette from earlier whose entire demeanour showed displeasure at the given instructions. He smiled and waved to her to which she waved back.

This exchange of niceties stopped abruptly when Itachi's elbow rammed into his ribs making him yelp in pain.

Ozpin observed the happenings but preferred not to interfere. "After you are partnered up, make your way up to the northern end of the forest. You will encounter several opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will surely die." Ozpin took a more serious tone.

This statement earned a smirk of approval from the Dragon King who found it to be the only useful instruction among the lengthy speech. _Destroy everything in his path_ , he liked the sound of that

Ozpin noticed this. "But I stress, do not attack any fellow students under any circumstances. If you do, you will be expelled." The headmaster stressed as he shot a glance towards the dragon slayer who grit his teeth to show his annoyance.

Ozpin paused for a brief moment before continuing. "You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return with it to the top of the cliff." Ozpin concluded.

"Now, any questions?"

A blonde who stood next to the dragon king raised his hands. "Good, now take your positions." Ozpin went on completely ignoring the Blonde and his raised hands.

"Guys listen to what I say carefully." Itachi's voice echoed in the heads of the remaining members of his team. Zack had activated his telepathy as per Itachi's instructions earlier.

The remaining members nodded in consent.

"After we are launched, Gohan sense our energies and head towards each of us. We will use your ability to fly, to head towards the relics together. The rest of you stay put at where you land. Make sure, you do not make contact with anyone else. Acno, please keep in mind the instructions Ozpin directed specifically at you."

Itachi barely finished laying out his plan, when he was launched into the forest making him the first among the four.

Gohan was next and the Dragon King soon followed. Anyone who listened closely to the surroundings could hear Glynda Goodwitch give a sigh of relief when he was launched.

Finally, it was Zack's turn. As he was launched, he saw Ruby look at him and give him a thumbs up before being launched herself.

X-X

Gohan wasn't fazed at all by the velocity at which he was launched into the forest. The saiyan hybrid was used to flying at speeds hundreds of times greater than this without even trying and this felt like a stroll in the park for him.

He let the force at which he was launched up, carry him as far as it could. When he felt that he was slowing down, the half saiyan gently landed on his feet right in front of an ursa.

If he was being honest with himself, he did not like taking lives whether it was humans or monsters. He could never bring himself to take the life of a human or faunus and also found itself difficult to even take that of a grimm. Gohan believed everything deserved a chance to live and atone for themsleves. But after several years in this world, he had come to the conclusion that these grimm was the natural enemy of remnant's citizens and also that they lacked a soul. He began to regard them like the heartless androids of his world. These reasons made him change his view on the grimm though he still did not kill unless necessary. In this present situation, mercy was not an option nor could he let this one live and pose a threat to the existence of this world's citizens.

The Ursa lunged its claws towards the demi saiyan who blocked it with ease. He then, slammed his fist with some force into its skull effectively killing it.

After the ordeal with the ursa, Gohan closed his eyes and tried to locate the energies of his teammates. He easily found the three of them only at a few distance away from him. The saiyan hybrid lifted himself up into the air and head towards the nearest energy signal he could lock on to.

X-X

To most students present for the initiation, finding yourself surrounded by three death stalkers the moment you land, would be their worst kind of nightmare. Many would not hope to survive the encounter and give up without a fight while most others would hope for a miracle to happen. But The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse was not _most students._ For him, this was the perfect chance to vent out some anger and frustration. Unlike many, he grinned in satisfaction. The reality was, he was not stuck with them, the death stalkers were stuck with him.

"Come at me you vermins." Acnologia bellowed as lightning crackled throughout his entire figure.

One death stalker _foolishly fell for the taunt_ and launched at him only to have its head cut off in a flash.

The Dragon King sidestepped the other two when they charged at him. He launched himself to the air and crashed his fist infused with lightning onto the head of one of the grimm crushing its skull before proceeding to tear it into two.

The last death stalker's movements indicated that it actually felt fear, confronting the Black Dragon. Acnologia grinned at the spectacle before baring his teeth and charging at the grimm. Just with his brute strength, he tore apart the death stalker's tail and with two quick moves, ripped it into two.

With his task accomplished and his foes torn into pieces, the Dragon Slayer began to laugh hysterically at the sight that lay in front of him. He felt so good when he let go of the built up rage inside him.

"Having fun are we?" Gohan's voice broke his laughter and he turned towards the saiyan hybrid.

The Dragon King gave a haughty smile. "I don't disagree with you. I was indeed having a lot of fun."

"Anyway, grab onto me. Let's go find the others."

Acnologia heeded Gohan's instructions and grabbed onto the shoulders of the demi saiyan.

"Alright, here we go." Gohan propelled himself into the air carrying the Dragon Slayer along with him.

X-X

.

After he was launched Zack used his teleportation to instantly teleport himself to the ground from mid-air when he found a perfect landing spot. To his utter joy, he found himself right in the middle of a pack of beowolves. Cracking his knuckles, he unsheathed his blade Honour from his back. The ex-soldier first class then assumed his fighting stance.

Beowulf after Beowulf who lunged at him found the same fate as the former Shinra soldier graciously and with precise movements cut them down one after another.

After a short span of time had elapsed, only two remained. Zack lifted Honour above his shoulders and taunted the grimm to come at him.

"Zacky, hurry up." Gohan's voice called out to him from above. The saiyan hybrid along with the Dragon King were waiting for him at some distance above ground.

Zack looked up above to see Gohan carrying Acnologia on his back. "Just a moment." Zack waved to them both.

Then he turned to the grimm "Sorry guys, time's up"

And in a flash of seconds the remaining two had their heads cut off.

Zack then activated Teleportation to appear right above Gohan. With a loud thump, he landed on top of Acnologia. This action of his was answered by a powerful elbow to the gut from the dragon slayer. As expected a scuffle broke out between the two. The demi saiyan was losing his patience and his balance.

"Guys, please stop. You might fall off." The saiyan hybrid pleaded but only for it to fall on deaf ears.

"Guys please stop." He raised his voice further. But to no avail as the two continued throwing punches and insults at each other

"Both of you idiots." Gohan twitched his brows as he screamed. "Do you want me to throw you out?" Gohan was annoyed. Though it was just the second time it had happened since they came together, it was clearly intimidating to them both.

"Sorry G man" Zack scratched the back of his head as he lifted himself off the Dragon King.

Acnologia simply scoffed and turned away. Oblivious to Gohan he was just seconds away from unleashing a rain of lightning on the ex-soldier had he not intervened.

X-X

According to Itachi Uchiha's calculations, Ozpin must have planned it all before. Why else would he find himself immediately surrounded by Ursa as soon as he landed? If this was the case for the others too, then his suspicions would prove to be true.

He had a smooth landing. He just used the momentum from the launch to jump across the tree branches. When he found a spot without anyone else nearby, he simply jumped down from the top.

Itachi unsheathed Shine and Shadow. The two blades were named in honour of Sasuke and Shisui. Though he wanted to go with Sasuke and Shisui for names, Zack and even Gohan had convinced him that it would be cheesy and totally lame. Like the ex-soldier, Itachi was the only other among the group who actually used his weapon. Acno never used it and Gohan used it only when he was up against someone really weak. The Uchiha was proud of his weapon. He had crafted them himself along with Zack. The design and the colour scheme was all his handiwork.

Itachi rolled his shoulders and took his stance, waiting for the grimm to make their moves. One mindless ursa took the initiative and clawed at him only to be killed with a precise strike to the vitals.

The same fate ensued for the remaining grimm. They might have posed a challenge to a huntsman wannabe but to an experienced shinobi, killing them was child's play. With style and finesse Itachi finished off all the grimm that surrounded him.

Gohan and the rest of them waiting for the Uchiha a few distance away from the scene. The three of them not wanting to intervene with his battle. Honestly, the ursa possessed more of a chance of turning into fairies than actually posing a challenge to the Uchiha.

Itachi noticed them as he killed the last ursa. He gave them a glance to indicate he noticed them. Brushing off the sweat from his forehead and sheathing Shine and Shadow, he walked towards the direction of his comrades.

"Okay, Itachi. Ready to go?" Gohan questioned in a mocking tone. He witnessed the Uchiha's fight and was really sure that the latter enjoyed it.

Itachi mustered a light smile in reply. The sharingan user knew what it implied and did not feel like adding anything more to it.

Gohan looked around and continued. "There is an abandoned temple just a little further ahead. I am sure that was the one Ozpin was referring to."

"That's great news. Let's head for it now." Itachi retorted as he looked into the faces of both Zack and the Dragon Slayer who refused to look at each other. Both of them had bruises on themselves and obviously no grimm he knew was strong enough to do that damage to them. It was obvious Zack had started something.

The Uchiha sighed to himself "Another petty scuffle, I presume."

The saiyan hybrid gave a goofy smile and scratched his head as he sweat dropped.

"Anyway, let's get going." Itachi motioned to the others. He then climbed on top of Gohan's shoulder which made Zack and even Acnologia chuckle slightly.

"If you dare to take a picture or something of this. I swear, I will kill you." Itachi blared at the duo who immediately ceased with their laughter.

The Uchiha then motioned to the half saiyan. "Gohan, let's go."

"Both of you, grab his legs. " He said now turning to the former soldier and the Dragon Slayer.

This plan did not sit well with Zack. "No way, why do we have to grab his legs? I want to ride on his back too." The ex-soldier tried his best to put up a puppy face.

Itachi did not bother with himself to give a response. "Gohan, let's go."

"Yo, don't ignore me. What the hell is with that attitude?" Zack said before he turned to the dragon king.

"Read the situation pea brain. Obviously, the Uchiha wants to fly but is too embarrassed to admit it."

Zack gave a careful look at Itachi to see Itachi excited like a toddler.

"Don't care any way or the other. I want the best seat." The ex-soldier shot back not ready to give up just yet.

"Guys, I am not some form of transport" The saiyan hybrids woes was left unheard.

"Hey, caps. Say something. You are acting like a kid."

"Says the real one." Acnologia flouted before he moved closer to Gohan to show that he did not mind it any way or the other and was ready to follow Itachi's instructions.

The saiyan hybrid was at a loss of words on what to say. Even Itachi was acting like a little child. But inwardly, he felt glad that his friend was easing off and enjoying himself. One other thing was the Uchiha was a bit embarrassed with the ride. Gohan could swear he saw him pouting a bit earlier. When Itachi wanted to have fun, he would mess with the two of them. Though his humour was mostly dry, Gohan enjoyed these _sessions_.

He did what he felt was the most logical thing to do and gently lifted himself off the ground. Acno grabbed onto his left leg as he had intended. Zack grabbed onto his right leg. But in reality the former soldier was actually trying to drag the demi saiyan down and prevent him from lifting off. Gohan understood this and was using a bit more of his strength.

By the time Zack realized that his efforts were unfruitful, they were at quite a distance from the ground. If he let go now, he would get seriously hurt. I he teleported down in protest, Itachi would simply leave him behind. Giving up, the former Shinra first class soldier kept holding on to the saiyan hybrid's leg.

In less than a minute, they reached the temple which contained the relics. Gohan gently landed on the ground. Zack and Acno jumped off while Itachi got off from his shoulders.

"There is the temple." Gohan pointed to an old ruin which contained many different chess pieces in white and black in it. "Now, all that's left is to grab a relic.

Zack walked towards the ruin and analysed his surroundings. He saw that none of the other pieces had been taken. This made him smile in jubilation inwardly. Looking around, he finally decided on the white king pieces.

"Looks like we are the first ones here.' Zack said as he returned back. Raising a fist into the air. "We will always be the best wherever we go"

"Good work all of you. Now let's head back." Itachi directed to the rest. "And yes, we will walk back." He added earning a groan from the ex-soldier.

As the four of them were about to return, the screech of a nevermore was heard behind them. The grimm were attracted by the negative emotions given out by an individual and with Acnologia with them, there was never a dull moment.

"Looks like we got some more company." Itachi smirked as they turned around to face the Nevermore.

The grimm charged towards the four, ready to take them all out in a single strike.

Zack hoisted Honour off his back and rested it on his right shoulder. "This one's mine guys." The ex-soldier prepared to finish off the unwanted guest.

"In your dreams monkey brain." In a flash the Dragon King lunged at the grimm.

Before Zack could protest, the decapitated head of the Nevermore rolled down on the floor while a grinning Dragon Slayer stood atop its corpse.

"Well, so much for holding back, I guess." Gohan sighed in exasperation.

Itachi scratched his chin and turned to the saiyan hybrid. "Don't complain now. You are the one who was for having fun this morning."

"Yes, but. Is this considered having fun?"

"To be honest, even I don't fully understand what having fun means to him." Itachi commented earning a defeated smile from the demi saiyan.

In front of them, Zack and Acnologia were locked in another squabble.

X-X

Back on Beacon cliffs, Ozpin and Glynda were monitoring the student hopefuls on their scrolls. A lot of things were happening and their expressions constantly changed to meet those.

"Well that didn't take very long." The combat teacher of Beacon academy couldn't hold back her shock. "The four of them didn't even seem slightly fazed by what they had undergone."

Ozpin simply kept sipping on his mug of coffee. With a slight smile on his face, the headmaster of Beacon was listening to his associate as well as monitoring the remaining student hopefuls.

"Professor Ozpin." Glynda narrowed her eyes." It seemed they had planned it all along from the beginning. How else, did they exactly locate each other in the forest?" The tone of Glynda Goodwitch displayed slight annoyance at Ozpin's refusal to reply.

"Do not fret, Glynda dear. I have got all the information I need about their character traits from their fights." Ozpin replied as he took another sip.

Glynda Goodwitch sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "And what exactly was this information, professor?"

"Their characters could easily be deducted from the way they took out their foes. Mr Uchiha, for example, killed those Ursa with precise strikes to the vitals. He did not wish to inflict any unnecessary pain on his enemy. It shows that he is someone who does not enjoy unnecessary fighting and was trained at a really young age in combat. He is someone who would eliminate anyone who would threaten his comrades. Kind to his friends and ruthless to his enemies. And easily, one who would gladly throw away his happiness for the ones he cares about. Obviously, the selfless leader and the strategist of the group."

"Okay, that seems plausible." Glynda was convinced of Ozpin's explanation and nodded in the affirmative. She had always trusted Ozpin and his judgement and always believed he had some reason for his strange actions. Like always, she was not proven wrong.

"And Zack" Ozpin continued. "He is kind hearted and the cheerful personality of the group. But I can safely assume, he has seen enough monsters in his life time to distinguish between friend and foe. Though I presume, he would hesitate to take the life of a fellow human or faunus unless they prove to be a dangerous enemy."

"He did seem a cheerful guy." Glynda rubbed her forehead with her fingers recollecting the thumbs up he had given her earlier.

'Then there is Acnologia. Frankly, the way he took out those death stalkers and that Nevermore, actually invoked pity in me towards the grimm. He is someone who had lost many precious things to some enemy. His actions show that he harbours a large amount of hatred and rage in him. A heart that was consumed by vengeance. And from my assumptions, he is someone who has no qualms about taking lives whether grimm or human. He is dangerous, unlike the rest. But as long as the others are around him, I don't expect him to do anything. Though, we might have to see that no student tries to pick a fight with him."

Ozpin's view on Acnologia only reaffirmed Glynda's deductions on him. She was still against the idea of having him among her students. But it seemed Ozpin did not object to him joining the academy.

There was a fair amount of silence that prevailed which was only broken by the sounds of gunshots that emanated from the direction of the forest.

"Then there is Gohan." Ozpin continued breaking the silence. "He is easily the strongest among them though he goes to great lengths to hide it. From what I have seen, he is extremely kind, humble and merciful. Even against the grimm, he had second thoughts about taking its life. The most striking feature that I fell about him is that his aversion to fighting. He is someone who loves peace and fights only when it is necessary. It felt more like, the demons of his past has forced him to take up arms. Like the other three, he values his comrades highly and would lay down his life for them." Ozpin concluded as he sipped on his coffee.

"Your deductions are rarely wrong, professor. I have no choice to agree with you. But…"

"Do not worry, Glynda. The case might be that those four have strength that exceeds even the best students but that does not mean we should shun them. To me, they seem like just four young men trying to find a way in this world. The four of them seem to have a painful past which shaped them to what they are now. They might hold many secrets but I do not see them as a threat. In time, they might prove to be powerful allies."

The headmaster of Beacon then turned to his second in charge "The one thing, I look for the most in anyone who wishes to enter this academy is teamwork and they possess it in bounds. They would trust each other with their backs with no doubt whatsoever. All of them are fully aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses. Not only the high degree of teamwork, their trysts with the grimm proved their high fighting capabilities. I don't see any reason to not induct them to the academy."

Glynda found herself in agreement with her superior's explanation. She decided to trust his judgement as she had always done. The combat teacher of Beacon nodded in approval and continued to monitor the students on her scroll.

X-X

"Russell Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day onwards you will be known as team CRDL led by Cardin Winchester." Ozpin's voice announced over the speaker. The four students walked towards the stage amidst applauses from almost everyone present.

The hectic initiation was finally over. Now at the auditorium, the students who had made it were being assigned into teams. Whenever someone's name was called, they had to move towards the main stage and their picture would be displayed in the holographic screen behind them.

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos and Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From today onwards you will be known as team JNPR led by Jaune Arc." Ozpin continued with the ceremony for the remaining students.

"Gohan, that guy seems really weak. Don't you think?" Itachi motioned to the newly appointed leader of team JNPR while turning to Gohan who joined the others present in applauses whenever a new name was called out.

"He is actually really weak compared to the others." Gohan answered. "Before the initiation yesterday he came up to meet me and Acno. I couldn't sense any aura from him then. But now, I can sense a small amount. It actually looks like he unlocked it during the initiation."

Itachi was totally in agreement with the demi saiyan's observations. "Well, I am sure he's gonna struggle a lot unless he improves himself." He affirmed.

Besides them, Acnologia was a bit tensed about the assignment of teams and grew increasingly restless. He had his arms folded but his face clearly gave out what he felt inside.

Zack was in his usual demeanour. He had both his hands behind the back of his head and stood there with a bored expression on his face. But, inwardly he was picturing tons of different scenarios when their names would be called out. _Will it be gasps of awe and surprise, fear, respect? Or maybe everyone would move to the side and give them a grand entrance_. The ex-soldier did his best to hide his true emotions. In truth, he was more restless than the Dragon Slayer.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long." Ozpin resumed with the team assigning's. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day onwards you will work together as team RWBY. Led by Ruby Rose."

This earned a round of applause from the ex-soldier. He sort of liked the scythe wielding crimsonette. This applause gave way to an apologetic sigh "Poor scythe girl. The horror of having to be in the same team as a Schnee."

"And Finally." Ozpin said producing a slight grin as he did so.

Zack was about to burst with excitement while many nearby could hear the rapid heartbeats of a certain dragon slayer. Itachi's face was still expressionless. Gohan simply took a deep sigh to calm himself before stepping forward when called upon.

"Itachi Uchiha, Zack Knight, Acnologia, Son Gohan."

The four teens in question walked towards the stage bearing witness to the fuss and whispers going around about their credentials.

Itachi was now more assured that they were very well known. He could hear many mention Itachi "Demon Eyes" Uchiha when his name was called out by the headmaster of Beacon. And also many of the women folk swoon over the name.

The Dragon King was relieved when their names were called out. But what he enjoyed the most was the sense of fear that creeped into the minds of many present when they recognized the name Acnologia.

Gohan tried to block the noises to prevent himself from hearing the moniker "Aura Monster" that was given to him. Remaining oblivious to the fact that he too was getting a lot of stares from the opposite gender.

Zack was over the moon from all the attention and the sudden popularity they were getting. From the corner of his eye, he tried to locate every good looking girl who was eyeing him. Still, he kept a calm expression on his face trying to put up a cool guy act.

"The four of you retrieved the white king pieces while completing the Initiation in record time I should add." Ozpin paused in between to let the whispers to die down before continuing. "Like before at Alsius, you will be known as team IZAG (IZANAGI) led by Itachi Uchiha.

When their name were called out, an ample amount of fuss was created among those present as many recognized their names. Ozpin purposefully mentioned Alsius to allay all these doubts and confirm that they were the real deal.

Among the crowd a certain crimsonette cheered loudly and a white haired Schnee beside her clenched her fists when the name Zack Knight was called out. A blonde who stood beside her could swear she saw her sister blush slightly when the former Shinra first class soldier's name was called out.

Next to them, a newly appointed blonde team leader and his raven haired teammate felt a slight chill creep up through their spine, on reminiscing something, when they heard the name Acnologia.

The four members of team IZAG left the stage after the ceremony still receiving roaring applauses from the crowd.

"Looks like, it is shaping out to be ab interesting year." Ozpin mused to himself.

X-X

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

 **Feel free to leave your thoughts and feedbacks at the review section or go ahead and PM me.**

 **If you deem my story as worth following or favouriting, go ahead and hit the Fav, Follow button.**

 **We part now only to meet again next chapter**.


	5. FIRST DAY

**Hey guys and girls, WATCHER89 here, back with a new chapter. But before we begin, let me answer a few queries. I'll make it quick** **.**

1\. **Andromeda** , I cannot divulge much into details. It may act as potential spoilers. Sorry about that.

2\. **DBSLordUltimar** , my apologies but I am not going to write that story.

3\. **Philipsebastian26** , glad you liked that tortoise knight reference, but to speak the truth, it was not my creation. I sort of borrowed/Stole/Copied it from the Kekkai Sensen Manga where Michella talks about Leonardo being her tortoise knight. If you have the time, check out the anime and the manga, it's pretty good.

4\. **REALGUY,** who sent me a Pm but for some reason I am not able to send you one back, I did not make Alsius up. It is legit canon material. There is an Alsius academy in Atlas which is like their Signal or Sanctum. I don't know if they have team systems over there. But I thought having that would be better for my story. It brings in room for more development when you have an already popular and highly talented individuals deemed as prodigies join Beacon, rather than having four teenagers with skills greater than the best hunters join the academy out of the blue. Not only is that route tried and tested my many, but also is difficult to envisage convincingly. I don't think, judging from Ozpin's character he would simply let people like that into his academy. To pull it off I would have had to create some good reason. In this scenario, he might view them with suspicion, but not that much as to create awkwardness.

 **DISCLAIMER: DRAGON BALL Z, NARUTO, FAIRY TAIL, FINAL FANTASY 7 SERIES AND RWBY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT THIS FANFICTION AND MY OC'S.**

 **X-X**

The initiation ceremony was finally over with IZAG being the last team to be formed. Most of the teams had left the auditorium with only a few remaining, including IZAG minus their captain, RWBY and JNPR.

Zack was making acquaintance with the members of teams RWBY and JNPR. Everyone except Weiss Schnee and Pyrrha Nikos that is. The Schnee heiress preferred to stay out of the ongoing conversation. For one she was vexed at being overlooked for the position of team captain when according to her own analysis, she deserved it. Another being her hatred for the ex-Soldier passed down from her elder sister and former heiress, Winter Schnee.

"Good job out there scythe girl. You were made captain. Congrats to you." Zack remarked as he gave Ruby a fist bump.

Zack was happy beyond compare, not because Ruby was made captain, but for the fact that he got all the attention he desired. Right now the former soldier could just jump up and down in joy. But still, he couldn't deny the fact that he felt a bit elated that Ruby Rose also made the cut. Zack knight was labelled as a flirt by many. The reality was that he was a flirt, but not the bad kind. He just liked making conversation with cute girls and no girl that ever talked to him would point to him as a jerk or a player because he was not. Zack never did anything to hurt the feelings of any woman he made acquaintance with. When women approached the ex-soldier with romantic interest, he would coolly deal with them without hurting their sentiments. He wasn't interested in romance, only wanted to make a lot of friends and have a great time. In case of Ruby Rose, he felt a bit different. Whether it was her optimism or her cheerful personality, he honestly didn't know. There was something about her that interested him.

Ruby did not like the name Zack had given her at all. "It's not scythe girl. I told you its Ruby." The crimsonette pouted, resting her arms on her hips.

Zack chuckled slightly at the reaction but still maintained the cool guy attitude. "Sorry about that Ruby. But honestly, scythe girl suits you better."

The crimsonette pouted yet again.

"No, it does not." Ruby was not amused.

"Hey Rubes, not gonna introduce us to your... extremely handsome friend over here." Yang Xiao Long, the elder sister of Ruby Rose cut in without waiting for the initiative.

"Yangy likey." She buzzed to herself as she gave a quick once over to the ex Shinra first class soldier in front of her.

Ruby slightly blushed at that comment. "Zack, this is my elder sister Yang." She gestured Zack towards her sister.

"And Yang, this is…"

"Glad to meet you cutie." The blonde brawler interjected before the newly appointed leader of team RWBY could finish, which earned her a smile of approval from the Former soldier and a look of slight annoyance from her sister.

"Glad to see meet you too." Zack returned the greeting.

"And might I say, you have a great eye, my lady." He added with a fake Gentleman like accent, bowing his head a bit.

Yang was amused and decided to play along. "Handsome and well mannered. My kind of man. I am impressed, Mr. Knight." She replied in a flirtatious tone.

"Yang." Ruby tried to chastise her sister.

Yang put a hand over her sister's shoulder. "What Rubes? I am just being honest here." She shot back.

Ruby decided to continue with the introductions than trying in vain to reform her sister.

"And this is Blake" Ruby continued motioning to the raven haired cat faunus who gave a nod in acknowledgement.

"Nice meeting you Blake." Zack greeted her.

The cat faunus returned the greeting. "Nice to meet you too."

Zack guessed from the tone of her voice that she was not much of a social person, nevertheless better than Acno however. _Almost everyone he met was always better than Acno when it came to social graces_. Other thing that came to the ex-soldier's attention was the strange fashion sense she had. It did not take him long though before he understood why the raven haired teammate of Ruby had on that strange bow. She was clearly a faunus and Zack had enough experience in remnant to perceive what it implied. He was no stranger to the racial atrocities that happened in this world and decided not to delve any further into that. If she wanted it to keep it a secret he had to respect her personal space. It was not in his nature, to reveal someone else's secret to others.

Unlike Acno who believed the strong would and should always rule over the weak, he believed the strong should always protect the weak. That is what strength is for.

Isn't that what a true hero does? Anytime, someone attacked or insulted a faunus on racial terms, Zack couldn't hold back from interfering. Even if he felt it brought him a lot of enemies, the former soldier was not dissuaded by it. According to his views, no one had the right to look down on someone. What he hated the most were people who tried to crush the dreams of others. People who found joy in insulting others, telling them they had no right to dream like them. It was wrong. Everyone in the world had the right to dream big and it did not matter if they were faunus or humans. To him, having the freedom to dream big and follow your heart is the greatest and most beautiful thing about being alive. _Embrace your dreams. If you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams._ This was the philosophy he staunchly believed in.

"And…." Ruby paused to look around to find someone.

"Weiss was supposed to be here, but apparently she is not." She continued after the light pause, a bit disappointed.

" _Good for me._ " Zack thought to himself. The last thing he needed was having a confrontation with Weiss. Winter Schnee hated him by a lot and had already labelled him as a thief, according to her viewpoint and the former soldier did not want the younger one saying anything more in this situation. He knew the younger one from Alsius and she met the perfect definition of a spoilt brat. Like she couldn't stand him, he couldn't stand her at all.

"That's my team and then this is Jaune, Ren and Nora." The silver eyed teen gestured towards the members of team JNPR who shook his hand in turns.

"And Zack, you didn't tell me, you and your friends were a super famous team." Ruby Rose asked seemingly a bit excited. That question came out of nowhere. It was as if she was waiting for the perfect chance to ask it. It took Zack by surprise.

"Even at Signal, the students used to talk about you guys." She wanted to ask that question a bit earlier but was too nervous. The crimsonette felt that he might be giving himself airs after all the happenings. She expected Zack to be a highly arrogant fellow from all that she heard about his team and was a bit startled when she realized he was the cool guy she met on her first day. Now, after making better acquaintance with the former Shinra soldier first class, she felt more confident than before.

"And I have heard all of you guys are hotties to die for." The busty blonde brawler winked at him as she let out a light purr. "And I am not disappointed in the slightest."

Zack scratched the back of his head and tried to hide his face which showed how much above the ground that comment had lifted him up. "Well, I am not much of a fame person. Actually, I do not like showing off you know…" Which was the biggest lie he ever told in his life.

"I actually met two of your friends earlier." The blonde haired captain of JNPR who Zack was introduced to as Jaune nervously spoke.

Zack raised an eyebrow. "Were you the guy who went to meet Acno the other day?" He questioned.

"Yes." "I mean. I didn't actually meet him. It was like…" Jaune was at a loss of words on how to describe the encounter, a sentiment equally shared by his raven haired teammate.

"Well it was not just Jaune, Ren and I also had a _strange_ meeting with him." The hyper active Nora Valkyrie who was surprisingly silent for a while interjected making a comical action when she said 'strange'.

"He almost puked on the airship." She giggled.

Zack felt a bit irked at her mocking his friend. He could mock him as he pleased, it was his right to do so. However, he did not take it lightly when someone else did it.

"That's not a first. He is definitely not the social type and it's actually better you keep your distance with him." Zack replied trying to lift the awkwardness that was creeping into the conversation, while failing miserably at doing so. Whenever someone dragged Acnologia into a conversation, the mood always seemed to change into a dark and depressing one. It was as if his name itself emitted some sort of evil aura.

The ex-soldier decided to shift the topic of conversation from Acnologia.

"Then again, I don't get how you didn't recognize me. I am a bit offended you know." The ex-soldier voiced folding his arms.

Jaune Arc being the rookie he was, felt a bit intimidated from that response. "No offense man. But I haven't actually seen your faces before. It's just that I have heard people talk about Acnologia's hair and his weird dressing. That was the reason I recognised him. _And also his attitude_." The blonde finished while he spoke the last sentence in a hushed tone.

That reply did not please the former first class. "Come on, people would have surely talked about the best looking one in the group. Isn't that enough?"

"Yes, I did recognize Itachi, but I didn't get a chance to meet him yet." Jaune Arc answered ignorant to the real motive of the question.

Zack's face took a weird expression which forced everyone except Ruby and Jaune to try their hardest to stop the laughs that threatened to escape. The crimsonette felt bad for the former first class soldier and did not wish to laugh at him. Jaune Arc only read the mood at that instant and felt bad for him. Except the questionee, all the others knew what the question implied.  
" _What is it with that guy? Everywhere he goes, this is the same_." Zack's inner mind boomed.

"Sorry Zack. I didn't understand what you meant. I thought you were being serious." Jaune again stated, trying to make up for all the damaged he caused.

Zack was at his breaking point now. "You know something Goldilocks. You are just super rude." He said in a raised voice which made the blonde flinch.

"Zack, you were called the nightmare at Atlas. I thought someone with that kind of nickname would be really rude and arrogant. _And scary_."

Zack glared at Jaune draining away any confidence he had.

A pregnant pause ensued and the silence was broken only by the laughs that escaped the others present.

"Sorry again. What I really meant was..." Jaune Arc tried in vain to make amends, after he regained some of his former confidence.

Before Jaune could finish what he started, he was interrupted by Zack. "Well whatever blondie."

"No harm done." Zack looked away. Simply put, he was being _roasted_ since morning.

"Don't fret Zacky." Yang cut in. "Ruby here thinks you are the cutest one."

"Don't you Ruby." She stated as she laid a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"Yang" Ruby protested while she blushed heavily.

But Yang did not want to stop "Sis, you were the one who told you met a guy with a cool sword and really pretty eyes, weren't you?"

Ruby looked away in embarrassment. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Eyes that have the colour of the sky." Zack did not do much to help either. "Pretty cool right?"

"Yes I agree." Yang playfully shot back. "Can I get touch them?"

"Yang" Ruby tried to drag her sister by the arm. "Remember. Boundaries."

"Can't I have a little fun here, Rubes?" The blonde wasn't the one to stop at that.

Zack giggled at the interaction between the two sisters. However he put it, they were really close and though Yang found a guilty pleasure in teasing Ruby, she cared deeply for her.

"Come on Blondie. Stop harassing her." He came to the crimsonette's defence.

Yang was in one of her best ever form. "Oh! The brave knight in shining armour coming to the rescue of the princess, is it?" She continued to tease them.

This conversation would have gone on forever if it was not interrupted by the sound of crackling thunder behind them courtesy of a certain dragon slayer who was leaning against the wall a few distance away. The Dragon king's hearing let him descry every word that was spoken between them. Now he regretted overhearing this _garbage talk,_ as he would describe it.

Zack turned to see a highly vexed dragon slayer give him an extremely _pissed off_ look.

All the others present except for the former soldier, felt terrified. Even Yang, who usually had pun for situations like this felt scared. The dragon slayer's angry stare was enough to send shivers down the spine of even the most headstrong of people.

Zack mumbled out some sort of apology at him which was not even barely audible to those around him

" _Shit! I remember telling him I'll be back in a minute." "Oh Boy! Is he pissed?_ " He made a goofy expression at his comrade.

"Anyways guys. I gotta go." He said in an apologetic tone addressing the others present. "It was great meeting you."

"Wait. You are leaving already handsome." Yang tried to persuade him to stay for longer. She was having a hell lot of fun teasing him and her sister and did not want it to end abruptly like this.

"We'll meet again tomorrow guys." Zack answered. "Things go haywire when Acno is in a bad mood _which he is always in_. And to top it all off, caps has gone off somewhere."

"Okay then, see you tomorrow Zack" Ruby waved him goodbye.

"Bye bye Zacky." Yang still had on her teasing tone.

The rest also waved him goodbye. Except for Yang, none of the rest wanted to cause _further irk_ to the blue haired dragon slayer. Ren and Jaune especially.

"Alright, bye again." He waved back to them as he walked towards the direction of the dragon king.

X-X

"I am surprised to see you here, Pyrrha." Son Gohan exclaimed as he saw an old friend of his in one of the hallways in Beacon as he tried to find where Itachi went off to. "I thought you might be at Haven. I didn't expect to find you at Beacon."

"Really. I should be the one surprised seeing all of you here and not at Atlas." The red head replied rather excited, earning a sheepish smile from the half saiyan.

Gohan and Pyrrha had met before when a friendly match was organized between the junior academies of Atlas and Mistral. Gohan was chosen to represent Alsius. Itachi disliked fighting as a sport, Zack was not feeling well at the time and the Alsius management feared sending Acno might trigger a war or something. So they sent Gohan who was strong yet a humble nice guy. Pyrrha was the obvious choice for Sanctum.

"Well Captain thought Beacon was better and so we ended up here." The half saiyan cooked up a hasty lie. "How about you? Why would the invincible girl of Mistral attend Beacon?"

Pyrrha Nikos scratched her chin. "It was just that, you know...the popularity and all."

"You should know what I am talking about." She found it hard to convey what she really wanted to say. The red head hoped Gohan would understand what she was implying. The both of them were more or less similar in their standings at the junior academies. They were both considered prodigies and hence were on the receiving end of a lot of attention.

Gohan smiled back to show he did understand what she had meant. "I understand." He answered with an honest smile.

"Truthfully speaking, that was one of the reasons we too decided against Atlas."

His reply earned a smile of satisfaction from the redhead. She was glad to find he understood what she felt.

"And by the way, I saw your face on a cereal box. Are you doing modelling nowadays?" the saiyan hybrid added after a brief pause, wanting to shift the topic of conversation.

"Well just a little." The red head chuckled. "That cereal is not actually good for you, you know?"

Gohan scratched his head. "He he. I did not actually like it." He replied with a sheepish smile

"It was just too sweet for my liking. I only had a single bite before I spit it out."

"Truth be told. I myself hate it." Pyrrha added earning a slight chuckle from the demi saiyan.

"So Pyrrha, I can see you have gotten a lot stronger than last time. You have been training intensely, haven't you?" Gohan continued after the laughs had died down.

The red head raided her chin. "Yes I have. After our last battle, I have really notched up my training."

"I can see that clearly. You have grown considerably stronger." The demi saiyan retorted. "We could spar again sometime if you like."

The Invincible girl of Mistral smiled in approval "I'd like to."

"But, this time it won't go like before." Pyrrha Nikos added with a bit of confidence.

"You were really good last time. You gave me one hell of a fight."

"But I have also been training a lot and had got a lot stronger you know." Gohan replied as he rolled his shoulders.

Unlike his past counterpart, he did not abandon martial arts though the world he was in was far peaceful than his home world. Son Gohan knew what some enemies were capable of. He had borne witness to beings labelled as the universe's strongest. If by any chance, stronger enemies of their level were to surface in this world, he had to be prepared to face them. There was no window to completely let go off everything. In the hard way, he had learnt that with great power comes great responsibility. This made him strive every day to push himself beyond his limits. The distaste the half saiyan felt toward combat did not act as a deterrent in his quest to get stronger. This world had too much precious memories of his and he was not going to let it all end. So, every day he had trained with great determination and intensity to be the best he possibly could.

"You are just being too humble Gohan." Pyrrha declared, punching him lightly on his arm.

"The last time we fought, you barely had a scratch on you. Not to mention your aura bar did not even budge in the slightest."

"He he." Gohan did not know what to say in reply, so he simply gave her an embarrassed version of the son grin.

"But I believe you can get even stronger with training." Gohan responded. Gohan wasn't lying when he said that. Of the many people he fought, Pyrrha Nikos was easily among the strongest in her age group. He believed she was even on par with some amateur hunters.

"Come on G man. We are leaving. Cap's orders." Zack butt in abruptly between the conversations between the two.

Gohan and Pyrrha were a bit taken aback with the sudden interjection which came out of nowhere.

"Yea sure. Just a minute." Gohan replied reeling back from the sudden surprise while he gestured to him to wait for a moment.

"I believe the both of you haven't met before."

"Pyrrha this is Zack" He motioned the redhead towards the ex-soldier

"And Zack, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha extended her hand towards the former soldier first class" I have seen you before Zack. But we never actually met." Pyrrha stated as Zack accepted the hand shake.

Zack flashed a welcoming smile. "G man's told me about you Pyrrha."

"I heard, you have a killer semb..." He paused abruptly.

"I mean he told me you are crazy strong."

"Why, thank you Zack." The red head replied. "But apparently not as strong as Gohan it seems."

Zack gently nudges Gohan on his arm as a sign to mock him.

"We should definitely spar sometime." He added.

"Yes I look forward to it." The redhead beamed as she answered.

"Anyway, it was nice meeting you Pyrrha. But we have to leave now."

"Captain said he had something he wanted to discuss." Zack retorted as he grabbed Gohan by the hand.

"Okay Pyrrha, see you later." Gohan waved goodbye to her.

"Bye Gohan. Bye Zack. See you guys tomorrow at class." Pyrrha waved back.

X-X

"This is one pretty big room." Zack couldn't hold back his surprise after seeing the vastness of the dorm that they had been allotted.

"Ozpin gave this specifically for us." Itachi cut in. "Supposedly, it is three times bigger than the regular one."

"The guy is pretty cool." The ex-soldier said as he rushed onto the bed near the window. "This one's mine" he squealed while he began to jump up and down on it.

Gohan giggled at his antics. "Calm down Zacky." The saiyan hybrid tried in vain to calm him down. Even the Dragon King forced a chuckle.

Itachi Uchiha on the other hand was busy scanning the room for any cameras or surveillances with his sharingan activated. He felt it was rather strange that they were given special treatment from all that he had heard earlier. After the ceremony had concluded Itachi went around the Academy _extracting_ information from senior students and from the non-teaching staffs on how things worked at Beacon. From all he heard, Ozpin was a reasonable guy and that everyone here at the academy had complete faith in his decisions, believing him to always make the right choices. But like he suspected, Ozpin was not one to be easily fooled or one who would easily invest his trust in someone. Nevertheless, Unlike Ironwood, the headmaster of Beacon was more of a pacifist which was a quality he admired.

The room they were allotted was a bit farther off from those of the other students. But it was way bigger than the regular ones. Four large tables were provided for each and it also had two large cupboards. Then there were two attached bathrooms along with a small separate space. The beds were arranged in a cross like pattern. One was near to the farthest window from the door which Zack had claimed earlier while two were arranged side by side in the middle. Itachi took the one on the right and the saiyan hybrid took the other one. Acnologia's bed was the closest from the entrance.

"Okay, all of you settle down. There are some things I have to say." Itachi motioned in a commanding voice as he seated himself upon his bed. This made the rest sit upon their beds and shift their attention towards him.

The Uchiha took a serious demeanour as he began. "After the ceremony I went around collecting information from the senior students and some of the school staff on how things work at Beacon. That is why you did not see me after the function concluded" Itachi paused to clear his throat and to make sure that the rest of them were listening.

"Apparently, this room might be the only special treatment we will get here. Unlike at Atlas, Beacon does not discriminate based on strength."

"Discriminate" Gohan interrupted the Uchiha.

"That's quite a harsh way of putting it isn't it?" The half saiyan countered in a serious tone. He found himself unable to agree to that. Alsius did give them special treatment, but discriminate was just too much. Whatever the reason, Alsius had sheltered them and fed them during their tenure over there. The demi saiyan could not let Itachi label it as such.

Itachi understood what his friend meant and did not say anything to oppose him. He too regretted using that term and felt it was indeed harsh.

"What I meant to say was." He continued after a brief interval of silence. "We are not going to get any special treatment like we did over there just because we are deemed as prodigies."

Itachi paused a bit again. "Like teachers overlooking our academics and our attitude problems just because we are a so called bunch of highly talented students." The sharingan user continued shooting quick glances towards the dragon king and the ex-soldier.

The dragon slayer understood what he meant and simply scoffed. Zack pretended to adjust his hair as he whistled to himself. Contrary to the other two, Itachi and Gohan posed no problems at both aspects. The Uchiha used _we_ , which showcased his inner mentality that all four of them were in it together. And the problems of one was the problems of the rest.

"Let me be more specific." Itachi resumed after a deep sigh.

"At Alsius, Acno had written only a handful of exams, to be more precise, just two tests and he failed miserably at both. You actually went and attacked a professor which would have got any regular student expelled. To top all that you have an attendance percentage of below 10. They overlooked it all because of your combat prowess." Itachi continued calmly but with an authoritative tone, his eyes still fixed at the dragon slayer.

"You cleared the final exam you had to pass mandatorily, to officially graduate from Alsius, all because I helped you cheat, by using an illusion on the invigilators." Itachi concluded with his tone taking a harsher note, which made the Dragon King twitch his brow and grit his teeth in annoyance.

"Then Zack" he turned over to the former soldier first class. "Your academics weren't that bad and…"

"You passed all the exams." The sharingan user hesitantly added as he placed a finger on his chin.

Itachi forced a fake smile when he realized he had nothing to say at all. "When I think about it, there is nothing wrong with your record in that area."

"Well done to you." Itachi clapped his hands in a gesture of false praise that got him a laugh from both the dragon slayer and the half saiyan, but a glare from the ex-soldier.

This made the ex-soldier leap up to his feet. "I know that." Zack shot back clearly irritated. "Then why the hell did you try to start a lecture for me."

Itachi scratched his chin in slight embarrassment. "My apologies. I believe it has become a habit of mine to include the both of you when I have to say something about rules and regulations." The Uchiha let out a laugh as he spoke.

Zack fell back on his bed in defeat "You know caps, you are getting really rude now a days." He remarked procuring giggles from all the others present.

"Yes, there is one thing I forgot to include." Itachi voiced. "The two of you would from this day onwards, do your own assignments and homeworks. No more taking advantage of poor Gohan to do your work."

Acnologia nodded at this statement like he did for all the instructions Itachi had given earlier. As anyone could guess, the Dragon King had no intention of abiding by it. He would do as he please. Itachi was also very well aware of the futility of his instructions but he, never the less, felt he had to let it be known. 

Gohan sat there keenly listening to all the instructions the Uchiha was giving. The demi saiyan had already braced himself to complete the assignments of the two as he too understood like Itachi also did, that nothing was going to change. Zack was too lazy to write assignments and would sweet talk him into writing it for him. As for Acno, the half saiyan did it without him asking, for the dragon king never bothered to ask and Gohan did not want him to be held back. It was a surprise, if Acno even attended classes once in a while except for combat classes.

"Gohan." Itachi's voice came piercing into the saiyan hybrid's ears. "I know what you are thinking, but don't."

"You are also at fault for encouraging such behaviour in them."

Gohan made a goofy expression as he scratched his head giving his leader a trademark son grin to show that his words had gotten through to him.

"Zack." The sharingan user suddenly remembered something he had skipped earlier.

The ex-soldier lazily got up from his sleeping posture in his bed. "What is it caps?" he responded aloofly.

Itachi began to speak but then decided otherwise. "Oh nothing." He blurted out. "Now is not the time for that. I will tell you about it later."

"What the hell caps?" Zack exclaimed standing up.

"Now I am curious. What is it?" The sudden halt did not go well with him.

"I will tell you about it later. It won't make any sense now. Every one of us should hear about it." Itachi vouched his cause. His tone a clear indicator that, it was of no use to try persuading him to reveal what he wanted to say

.

Zack had seen enough to understand that when Itachi decided upon something, he won't budge in the slightest. Reassuring himself it would be in vain to continue, he went back to his previous position on the bed.

Itachi Uchiha then looked at each of his teammates faces to see if his words earlier had seeped through enough.

"Anyway that was all I had to convey." Itachi lied down in defeat acknowledging the fact that his instructions weren't going to change anything at all. Acno would still be the same Acno, Zack would be the same Zack and Gohan would still continue writing the assignments of the two.

The other two also followed suit and prepared to rest for the night. During the last two days, a host of events had unfolded and they needed time for everything to seep in. Itachi especially was really tired. Tomorrow would mark the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.

Sometime in the middle of the night, a thought struck Itachi which made him wake up abruptly.

"I forgot to mention that part." He face palmed. "Things might get really bad tomorrow."

X-X

"I'd rather die than wear this ridiculous piece of garbage, Uchiha." The Dragon King barked at Itachi who had to use his arm to block the incoming set of clothes thrown at quite a force at him.

Itachi Uchiha's bad feeling came true. The leaf's former Anbu feared that the dragon slayer was not going to abide by the dress code and he was not wrong. Things spiralled out of control when Itachi tried to force him into wearing the uniform. He wanted to sound dominative yet calm and collected, but Acno took it the wrong way. Now he was throwing tantrums like a toddler.

"I knew something like was going to transpire." Itachi inwardly sweat dropped.

Zack was laughing up a riot like he always did in situations similar to this. The only thing his actions did was add fuel to the already raging fire.

"It's not that bad." Gohan tried to calm the nerves of the dragon slayer. "Actually I think it will look good on you."

Itachi nodded his head in the negative with a deadpanned expression. " _You are not helping at all_." He tried desperately to convey to the half saiyan.

"You did this on purpose to tick me off, haven't you Uchiha?" Acnologia was beyond his breaking point. "Do you think I would stoop so low as to wear such ridiculous human made clothing?"

"Listen, Acno..." Itachi began only to be abruptly halted when a ball of fire was hurled at him. Luckily for him and his bed, the fireball was too tiny to actually start a fire.

The Uchiha took a deep sigh as he braced himself. "I did tell you about rules yesterday…" Itachi tried his best to persuade him but to no avail. The sharingan user's voice was barely audible among the ruckus. He again prepared to open his mouth to say something however decided otherwise. This situation was going on for about an hour and dragon king was beyond the point of no return.

Zack on the other hand kept trying his best to crack jokes no one even remotely cared about. The only purpose that they did was helping in pushing Acno to the limits. "Come on Tribal man. All great magicians wear suits. You could…"

The ex-soldier wanted to continue but a shuriken, which whizzed past his right made him stop in his tracks. He looked up to see a very angry Uchiha glaring at him. The former soldier flinched at the glare fixed upon him and pretended to look away plastering an expression of false innocence on his face.

X-X

After an hour had passed, the situation was finally under control. Acno was adamant as ever, but Itachi and Gohan were finally able to calm his nerves and make him agree to wear the uniform for once. The deal was that he had to wear it only on his first day. Since the code also allowed for wearing additional clothing or accessories, Acno had on his cloak around him which concealed the suit underneath.

Itachi promised he would have a talk with Ozpin to exclude him from the dress code required. A promise he had no intention of keeping.

"Hurry up. We are already late for class." A very frustrated Itachi shouted at two who were lagging behind.

"Yea yea. We hear you." Zack answered aloofly, not making any efforts to further his pace.

Acnologia was too invested in cursing under his breath about the dress he was wearing and was deaf to the orders.

"Gentlemen. May I ask why you are so late?" came the authoritative tone of Professor Port, an man of considerable age whose most striking feature was his big grey moustache, when he saw the four.

Gohan who was in front was automatically tasked with seeking permission for entry.

"We are terribly sorry professor." Gohan bowed in respect.

"It's just that the alarm clock broke and…" Gohan muttered out a hastily cooked out lie.

"What a strange looking guy. His moustache is bigger than his belly." Zack couldn't hold back his laughs. These laughs were stopped instantly before they became audible, by a stomp to his right foot, courtesy of Itachi Uchiha.

"I will let this pass since it's your first day." Professor Port stated folding his arms.

"Do not repeat this again." He cautioned them.

Gohan bowed his head one more time. "Thank You professor. I promise you this will be the last time." Gohan replied in a humble tone.

"Ok then gentlemen take your seats now." Port notioned them to where the seats where.

Gohan did not give any reply. He just complied with the Professor and entered the classroom. The rest followed suit. Even Acno did not bother to mutter out any insult.

The scenario inside the class was not what they expected to see. The class room was larger enough to fit in a lot of students. Inside, Weiss Schnee was currently in her combat dress, awaiting her chance to go against a grimm kept contained in a cage.

She gave a cold stare to Zack when their eyes met to which the former soldier returned a mocking smile. Ruby called out to him and gave him a welcoming wave which he returned. Yang near her winked at him and he returned that gesture too.

The four of them took the seats on the second row on the right. Acno took the extreme right, Gohan next to him, then Itachi and finally Zack on the other extreme end. Gohan and Itachi's faces showed that they were a bit embarrassed from being late. Unlike the other two, they knew how one should behave in schools. Itachi especially believed in maintaining good etiquette. He was a bit strict in maintaining that proper decorum. Being a prodigy of the hidden leaf also meant that he was also studious in his dispositions.

"I hope you are settled down gentlemen." Professor Port said addressing the members of IZAG, finally hushing the whispers that were going on.

"Okay then." He turned to Weiss Schnee.

"We shall resume where we left off." The professor moved towards the cage which held the grimm. With a swing of his weapon, he broke the lock on the cage which kept it in check.

The four heroes understood that the professor was carrying out some sort of test to analyse his students. Itachi and Gohan shifted their attention towards the matchup between the younger Schnee and the boarbatusk. Acnologia showed no interest whatsoever and leaned back on his seat with his eyes closed.

Zack also eyed the match with interest, rooting for the grimm. He wanted to cheer loudly for the boarbatusk, however decided otherwise.

Itachi was in approval of the method the professor was using to analyse his students. It gave him quite a vague idea on what kind of person this Professor Port was. Though his appearance might invite ridicule from many students, the professor was a man of vast experience in a lot of matters. It was evident that he had also suffered some form of loss but has overcome it. Like his actions suggested, Professor Port cared deeply about his students.

The battle between Weiss Schnee and the grimm was getting interesting. Ruby Rose was trying her best to cheer on her teammate. But this gesture of hers was only taken to be really annoying by the person it was meant for. The Schnee kept shouting at the crimsonette to shut up. Her actions were clearly upsetting her younger team leader. 

Zack too was getting annoyed Weiss's behaviour. He liked Weiss Schnee as much as she liked him, and that stood below hate. But now, what she kept doing was horrible. He narrowed his eyes and turned to look at Itachi, to see if he too shared the same sentiment.

"Hey caps, that Schnee is being a real B. You know what I am saying?" he directed his opinion towards the Uchiha who still sat expressionless.

Itachi turned his head towards Zack. "In battle Zack, absolute concentration is necessary." He retorted in his usual calm and collected tone.

"Though Ruby has good intentions. In this fight, I believe it acts as a deterrent to the combatant."

For Itachi, friendship and combat were two different things. Having a trusted comrade to watch your back would be the biggest advantage someone could ask for in a battle. Still, he felt Weiss Schnee was justified in behaving that way. Words of encouragement or support according to him, meant nothing in a life or death battle. Then again, they were all children with no worldly experience compared to him.

"In a real battle, a slight lack of concentration can mean death." Itachi concluded shifting his attention back towards the ongoing battle. Itachi was not a fan of fighting for entertainment or to show off. Still he eyed the match with interest, only for analysing how good the other students were.

Zack wasn't pleased at the response. The ex-soldier puffed his cheeks to show his displeasure. "You know caps, for someone who listens to heavy metal all day long. You are terrifyingly too calm and composed."

All the three others present couldn't help but laugh at the comment.

"Well, you need patience to listen to metal." Itachi joked procuring giggles from the ex-soldier and the demi saiyan.

Zack always held is captain in high regard but he did not agree with what Itachi said before. Then again, the way he analysed things and the way Itachi analysed things were leagues apart. Itachi thought about everything too deep unlike him. More specifically, Itachi's way of thinking was more mature. It had a lot to do with the way things worked in his world. For a Shinobi, every battle was a life or death battle. His deductions were therefore almost spot on, aided by the multitudes of different personalities he had dealt with. Zack's way of thinking was almost like that of a teenager who believed too much in happy endings. The ex-soldier also had his fair share of experience in that regard, still he could never think like Itachi could.

With a final strike, Weiss Schnee emerged victorious over the grimm. Professor Port was quick to praise her for the job well executed. The students present except for Zack and Acno applauded the huntress in training for her effort. Itachi's face showed he was not that impressed at the display. It was understandable, back in the hidden leaf there were kids far younger than Weiss who could take on bigger enemies without breaking a sweat. Nevertheless, the Uchiha had to agree that the younger Schnee was better than many students he knew.

"Now, students." Port began after Weiss had returned to her seat.

The professor then paused lightly to have a quick glance at all his students. "Who wants to go next? I have one more cage here with me." He added with a grin after the pause.

Many hands were seen raised after he posed the challenge. The professor laughed lightly to himself, feeling proud of his students for the huge response.

"Might I add?" Professor Port stroked his long moustache.

Assuming a more serious demeanour he continued. "The next one is an ursa major. A stronger grimm. It will be a tougher battle."

This made many of the raised hands go back down. Only a few hands remained raised with Zack's being one of them. Gohan and Itachi both were aversed towards needless fighting and showed no interest in engaging the grimm. Acnologia was lost in his own thoughts so much that he had no clue what was going on around him.

Professor Port scanned the room for potential candidates among the ones who had raised their hands.

"Mr Knight. If you may step on down." His eyes finally rested upon the figure of Zack.

Zack was elated "Sure thing professor." He pumped up his fist into the air.

"Woo hoo. I am thrilled."

This was the perfect opportunity for him to show off in front of the whole class. He wasn't going to let it go to waste.

Professor Port was beguiled at the ex-soldier's response.

"Young man firstly change into your combat apparel and come stand where I am standing right now."

"Don't worry Professor. I only need my sword." Zack replied haughtily. His response fulfilled its intended effect which was to impress the women folk present.

"Are you sure, Mr. Knight?" The professor was a bit worried. "I know of your abilities, but…"

"You have to be prepared to fight in any situation. That is what I believe professor." Zack cut in before the professor could finish what he wanted to convey.

"Besides, why waste time changing for a weak ursa."

Zack wasn't lying about the ursa not being a challenge. However in the present scenario, he said that only for the sole purpose of showing off and looking cool. It worked like a charm as well. Many of the students gasped in awe and admiration at his confidence.

Professor Port couldn't help but chuckle slightly in admiration at the response. "Well young man. You may begin whenever you like."

"Do your best Zack." Itachi tapped him on his back with a small grin on his face. Itachi was more concerned if Zack knew what an ursa even was, rather than if he would be okay . Even during their second year at Alsius, the ex-soldier could barely differentiate between all the grimm.

"Show them what you are made of Zacky." Gohan gave him a thumbs up, thinking more or less the same things as his captain.

Acnologia opened his right eye to show his support before drifting back to his thoughts.

Zack took out Honour. He touched the flat side of the blade with his forehead. " _Embrace your dreams. And always protect your Honour as SOLDIER_."

Still in his uniform clothes, he got down to the spot the professor indicated and prepared himself to face the grimm.

"Do your best Zack." Ruby Rose cheered from his side.  
Zack could also hear the other students he met yesterday also cheering him on but they did not meet Ruby's enthusiasm or her level of loudness. Zack gave her an approving grin and assumed his stance.

"His stance shows no openings at all." Professor Port thought as he keenly analysed the former Shinra soldier from where he stood "He might act a bit aloof, but there is no denying his high level of skill. He is someone who has seen many battles."

"He barely moved a muscle, still I can sense great aura emanating from him." Professor Port stroked his moustache still continuing to observe the former soldier's stance.

"Now I understand why he is considered unbeatable. From my judgement, there won't be any academy students who could match him in strength."

The professor then lifted his weapon higher. "Get ready, my boy."

With that he brought down his weapon and broke open the lock on the cage that held the Ursa Major.

The presence of the Ursa Major had some impact on the students in the class. Unlike the previous grimm, no one was cheering on the combatant. It was just too intimidating. Many held their breaths and only a few cheered under hushed tones.

The four members of IZAG were far from intimidated. Zack was enjoying the new mood that now enveloped the class. Itachi and Gohan were keenly observing him. The Dragon King now leaned forward, his apathetic look taking a complete 180. Something now piqued his interest, so much that he tried desperately to lock onto its source.

Back with Zack, the ursa did not wait for an initiative and it charged at the former soldier. Zack sidestepped its first attempt to claw at him. Before the ursa turned towards him, he rolled over behind it. The ex-soldier w\quickly got up on his feet and delivered a sharp kick to its back, propelling the Ursa a bit forward.

But, the grimm was a tough one. It quickly regained its footing and made another attempt to strike him down.

Itachi who was watching could easily assume Zack was facing a slight difficulty, fighting in his uniform. Obviously it did not afford him the same flexibility as his combat apparel. Though it was not a disadvantage big enough to pose him any serious threats, it did pose a problem that his uniform might get torn if he over exerted himself. From his observations, Zack too had the same concern which was putting a limit on his movements.

Zack use the flat side of Honour to block the ursa's second attempt to claw him. The grimm tried with all its might to pin him down, but the ex-soldier's strength proved to be superior to its own. He effortlessly lifted it off the ground. With one sudden jerk of his sword, he tossed it into the air and in a flash cut it into two at its midsection.

The victory of the Ursa Major earned roaring applauses from all who were watching. Itachi and Gohan applauded acknowledging a well done effort.

Zack kept his cool guy attitude and pretended to be unfazed by all the applauses.

"It was so awesome Zack." Zack heard the familiar voice of Ruby cheering from his right. Only this made him turn to the source and accept the praise.

"Great going Zacky" The Blonde Brawler winked from the side.

"Great job Mr Knight." Professor Port patted him on his head. Zack did not mind the gesture, though he hated when people messed up his hair. He could sense that the professor was a very good man who cared deeply for his students. The ex-soldier admired teachers who cared deeply for their students. They would remind him of Angeal in a way.

"That my dear students, is how you take down a grimm." The professor directed towards the rest of the class.

"Mr Knight showed great skill and tacticality in overpowering his foe." He continued with his praise of the ex-soldier.

"It seems we have quite a bunch of highly talented individuals with us."

The rest of the class went without anything interesting happening. Zack felt he needed to reconsider his opinion on the professor whose class only consisted of him retelling his glorious, highly exaggerated stories of yesteryears. With great difficulty, he tried to fight back from falling asleep. Many students did not share his fighting spirit and were already dozing off. Weiss was giving Ruby the cold stare. Surprisingly, a few of the students were taking down notes.

And to add to that surprise, Itachi and Gohan for some reason were also taking down notes, even clearing doubts among themselves.

" _Prodigal Nerds_ " was all Zack could think.

But he was a bit worried about Acno who was lost in deep thought with his eyes closed. The dragon slayer's facial expressions constantly changed whenever he sensed something. It was certainly unusual for Acno to be interested in something. He wanted to ask what was bothering him but decided otherwise, when he deduced that Gohan and Itachi understood what Acno was trying to do and themselves did not interfere. What went through their minds sometimes? He could seldom fathom what it was.

X-X

After classes were dismissed for lunch, the four of them were seated in the cafeteria with their share of food laid before them. The cafeteria was crowded and noisy. But they were able to find a table a bit isolated from the rest courtesy of arriving early as soon as classes were dismissed.

"Gohan. I assume you must have also sensed that." Acnologia was the first one to speak which was a rare thing in itself. He seldom was the one who initiated a conversation. The dragon slayer's facial expressions showed that he was really serious.

The saiyan hybrid was expecting that.

"Yes I did." He nodded in the affirmative.

Acnologia was pleased with the response. "It's quite strange sensing magical energy at a place like this." He folded his arms.

"The energy that was being given off was faint. It took me a lot of strain to try and locate it."

"What exactly did you sense Acno?" Itachi who was silent throughout the conversation interjected. From what he saw back at class, he could ardently say that it was something really important otherwise Acno wouldn't bother talking about it.

"I will try to keep this short as possible. Still, there are many things I have to convey to you before you understand what I mean." Acno began while he shot a quick glance to Zack who was surprisingly quiet for the duration of the conversation. The dragon slayer expected some sort of ridiculous remark from his side.

The Dragon Slayer heaved a deep sigh. "You already know about my home world, Earthland. And from Gohan's life story, I have come to understand it is nothing more than another planet, among countless others in the universe."

"In my world the major power like you r ki and chakra was magic power." Acnologia took on a serious demeanour now. "I know you are already aware of all this, however it is absolutely necessary you have a clear picture of things if you want to understand."

"In Earthland, there was infinite supply of ethernano which is a necessity to use magic power. Unlike Ki and Chakra, magic does not originate from the body of a wizard itself. Without ethernano, you just cannot use magic."

The other three of them leaned in a bit closer indicating that they were intently listening to what the Dragon King had to say.

Itachi sat with two fingers pressed against his right temple. There were a few things he wanted to ask the dragon slayer, yet he decided against it, not wanting to interrupt the dragon slayer's explanations.

"This ethernano constantly replenishes your depleted magical energy. But the amount of magical power you possess varies from person to person. You can increase your magical reserves through training or sometimes individuals are born with vast reserves." Acno continued after he scanned his surroundings for any potential eavesdroppers.

"Now, only less than ten percent of the population could use magic in Earthland. And for these wizards, their magic power is their life energy itself."

"In other words." Acnologia resumed after clearing his throat. "You will die if magic were to vanish."

"But in rare cases like mine who has lived for centuries drenched in infinite magical energy, it is possible to generate the same amount of magical power without the requirement of ethernano." 

"To be more precise, in my case, ethernano is produced by my body itself. This was the reason my powers were intact when I came to this world." The black dragon took a sip of water and paused momentarily to let his words settle down.

"I am not aware of any other wizards who possess a similar trait, but that is not a concern for now."

"Do you have any queries you wish to be cleared upon?" The dragon king questioned in a commanding tone.

The faces of his comrade showed that they understood clearly what he said. Satisfied at the response, he recommenced his explanation.

"Ever since I came to this world, I have sensed traces of ethernano here and there. It never seemed much to be concerned about. This was the sole reason I did not bother you with it."

Acnologia folded his arms. "Do you remember when we visited Haven in Mistral?"

The other three nodded to indicate that they did. The three of them were too interested in what the dragon king had to convey and so made no effort to ask anything in case it may break his flow.

"I sensed the same kind of energy I sensed there, over here." Acnologia closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again.

"It is without doubt ethernano." He added convincingly.  
"That means there are only two possibilities. Either ethernano existed in this world a long time ago and now only few traces of it remains. Or this small amount had always existed over here accessible only to a few."

"Today I felt theta presence although it was faint, almost as if the user was on the verge of death barely clinging onto life."

"You are right about that." Gohan now cut in. He felt that it was time, he too joined the debate.

"The energy was somewhat similar to Acno's but all living things possess Ki, which is their life energy itself."

Gohan picked up again after quickly glancing through the faces of each of his comrades. "I cannot sense magical energy as such, only the pressure it gives off, however I can sense KI"

"From my deductions, the KI of this person was terrifyingly faint."

All of this seemed highly interesting to Itachi who himself was intrigued by the legend of the maidens he had heard about.

"Gohan" the Uchiha turned to the demi saiyan.

"Were you able to pinpoint the location of this person?"

"Yes I was" Gohan replied a bit confused on what Uchiha was implying.

"It is somewhere in the academy."

Itachi placed a finger on his chin. "Interesting. Seems the headmaster was indeed hiding some big secret"

"Caps, do you have any idea about all this?" Zack directed at the Uchiha. Whenever a serious conversation would ensue, the ex-soldier hardly ever tried to open his mouth or partake in the conversation, preferring to only remain as a listener. For one he seldom had anything worthwhile to add, the other and most important reason was that Zack never thought about things the way they thought. Unlike them, he rarely viewed anyone or anything with suspicious eyes. Nor did he try to find a deeper reason for their appearance in this world. To him, everything was a chance to live life to the fullest.

Itachi did not answer outright. He kept pondering on the question posed to him for a while.

"It is only an assumption of mine. But all of this might have something to do with this legend of the maidens I have heard about." Itachi added after the brief silence.

"Maidens!" Zack yawped only to calm down quickly when Gohan hushed him to be discreet. He made an action of covering his mouth in a comical fashion.

"But aren't they only fairy tales?" The former soldier continued in a lower voice, regaining his composure.

"So were dragons back in my world." Acnologia cut in.

"And also people who could destroy planets on a whim." His voice was laced with contempt.

"Acno is right Zacky." Gohan was the one to speak. "The four of us being here is absurd in itself."

Zack sort of seemed convinced. "It makes sense when you put it like that."

The ex-soldier slumped back to his seat.

Itachi's face showed, all of this was generating a great amount interest in him.

"Do you think we should investigate on the matter further?" He voiced addressing the three others.

"I suggest that we don't" Gohan was the first one to respond. "If we are found, it will only complicate matters further."

"Gohan is right." The dragon king came in support of the saiyan hybrid. "Unless, we have anything more on it or unless it poses a threat to us. I feel it will be not worth our time looking into it."

"If that's what you say." Itachi slightly nodded his head.

"How about you Zack? What is your opinion?" The Uchiha turned to the ex-soldier.

Zack laid back on his seat "I have to agree with G man on this. No point in us being so concerned about this." Zack only said that because he did not want them fretting over everything and not because he was disinterested. He just wanted everyone to just sit back and relax, not fretting over everything they feel is out of the ordinary.

Itachi smiled gently to himself and took a bite out of the dango on his plate. After which he looked at the Dragon King. "It's time you told us what you actually wanted to say Acno?"

"There is no escaping your intuition, is there Uchiha?" Acnologia smirked.

"Still, I have to ask you how you read my mind."

"It is not that difficult to figure you out." The Uchiha folded his arms.

"You exposed yourself when you asked me not to inquire any further into what you sensed."

Itachi continued. The other two had disbelief planted on them, unable to figure out what had suddenly ensued.

"It is unlike you to show interest in the matters of others unless it concerns you somehow. I was sure you said that as some kind of warm up before the real thing."

"What are you guys talking about?" Gohan couldn't make heads or tails about where this conversation was headed.

Zack was just too shocked at the sudden turn of events. Atleast a thousand different questions rummaged through his brain. Still, he was unable to utter anything.

"I will have to be blunt here." The dragon slayer began before anyone could voice their thoughts.

"For what purpose were we, to be more precise why was I brought into this world?"

"We have talked about that many times, haven't we?" Zack commented in a serious tone. "I don't think there is anything more to speak on that matter."

"Actually there is."

Zack slammed his fist into the table with some force causing a depression on it. "No. There isn't."

The former soldier was getting a bit irritated. He never wanted such a talk to surface yet again. They had talked about it numerous times and every time he felt himself get a bit hurt.

Itachi understood Zack's feelings. The raven haired cheerful comrade of his never wanted to see a rift happening between his friends and always, went to great lengths to prevent one. The Uchiha knew that the forthcoming conversation was going to hurt his dear friend, yet Itachi understood that it was needed.

He gently placed a hand on his shoulder "Let him speak Zack. I think he has something important to say."

The sharingan user then motioned to the dragon slayer to continue.

Acnologia sat up straight before carrying on. "Like I mentioned before, I have to be straight forward with this." He shut his eyes, maintaining an austere demeanour.

"The question about why the three of you were given a second chance does not bother me anymore. You were all selfless heroes, who died young, protecting what you cherished."

Acnologia opened his yes. "Unlike me, you never let power corrupt you or let vengeance blind you. All of you, used your superior strengths, not for yourselves but for the sake of others, sacrificing your happiness for theirs. If you were given a second chance, you deserved it." The Dragon Slayer's tone had a tinge of sadness as he spoke.

"I only fought for myself, only to satisfy my lust for anger and vengeance. It would have made more sense if I died young like you. Then I could argue, I did not have enough time to reflect on my actions." He paused a bit to clear his throat.

"But…that was not the case with me"  
"I lived for centuries terrorizing civilizations. I had more than enough time to think back on my actions and change if I needed to. I never did that."

"So I ask you, for what reason was someone like me given a second chance. Do you honestly believe I deserved it?" Acno shot the question directly at Itachi's face.

The dragon slayer said those with so much conviction, such that a long period of silence followed as he finished. The bell signifying the end of the lunch break had rung already and almost all the students except a handful who planned on bunking classes remained in the hall. Itachi and Gohan were so engrossed in the discussion that they remained oblivious to all the happenings. Zack on the other hand noticed it, but chose not to say anything. This conversation was getting more serious.

Itachi looked at Gohan for some support only to see the saiyan hybrid sit expressionless. Conversations like this was not a rarity. The only difference now was that this one was serious and more vitally, this time it was asked by Acnologia. Whenever such a question arised, the answer always remained the same. But it was never the dragon slayer who brought it up. It always felt like he did not care about it. This situation just made it clear that such a thought always lingered in his mind.

Zack was annoyed, sad and also angry not at anyone but himself. During occasions like this, he was always the one who would lighten up the mood. He hated this. The ex-soldier always wanted things to remain as they always did. Him pissing off Acno by cracking stupid jokes, Itachi with his calm and sometimes threatening tone trying to break them off, Gohan acting as the peace mediator. Nothing tore him apart more than the thought of a divide happening between his dear friends.

"I was sure that one day this would come from you. It was only a matter of 'when'." Itachi was the one to break the ice.

"If I am honest Acnologia, the answer is yours to find. Ask yourself this, did you or do you deserve a chance?"

"Still, let me tell you what I feel." Itachi said in a composed tone. "I too will be blunt with my response. You are a precious friend of mine and I would never lie to you on this."

"It is always the journey and not the destination that makes you who you are. My experience has taught me this much"

The Uchiha looked straight into the Dragon Slayer's eyes as he spoke. "In your past life, your intentions were not wrong. For whatever reason you swore to slay the beasts that terrorized your dreams and those of every other human in your world, you were prepared to put your life on the line. There were atleast a few who considered you as their saviour."

Gohan understood Itachi was being as direct as he possibly could. The saiyan hybrid hesitated for a moment thinking if he should stop him before something may befall. He moved in to force the Uchiha to stop, however the expression on Acnologia's face stopped him from proceeding any further. He felt as if the Dragon King wished for such a response from the Uchiha. The naked truth thrown at his face. It was understandable. There was no denying that what Acnologia did was wrong. All of them felt the same about it. But they never said it openly. He had grown into precious family for them. So the fear that it might offend him always held them back.

Gohan sat back on his seat and thought about the situation more clearly. Itachi was right in what he said. One day or the other, it had to be said. The truth was always the easy way out.

Zack on the other hand was so ticked off that every word Itachi was saying made him more sad and angry at the same time. He desperately wanted to close his ears, not wanting to hear any more of this conversation. The former soldier clenched his fist to keep his growing frustration in check.

"You accomplished your goals but the path you took ripped away the nobility of that cause." Itachi paused momentarily.

"You were supposed to be the hero of the people, the one who would bring the chaos and nightmare to an end, only to have your actions turn you into their most feared villain."

Itachi paused yet again, deciding whether he should proceed any further. "Decide for yourself what you want to make of it. The path you choose must be your own. The rest of us can only act as your guides to prevent you from making the wrong choices. As your comrades and friends, it is our duty to do so. It's upto you to weave your story, to make it into what you want it to be."

Itachi Uchiha concluded, rather harshly. He himself felt sharp remorse for putting it out like that, especially the last few lines. However those were his real thoughts. They were what he really felt. As a friend and team leader, he had to say it. Itachi noticed Zack was still sulking but Gohan showed approved of what he said.

"You put it really well Uchiha." Acnologia was not angry or sad. The dragon slayer was elated. This incident only convinced him that his teammates were people who would tell him what they felt straight to his face. That's what real friends did. They wouldn't try to soothe you with sweet talks and polished lies. Real friends would tell you directly to your face what they really felt. They would tell you whether your actions were right or wrong.

Four centuries of living invoked no regrets in him and even another four would make no difference. Whatever happened, the path he chose and the ideals he had would not change. To him, only the lives of his and his comrade's mattered.

What he wanted from them, was the truth, and said straight to his face. The truth about how they viewed his actions which they had always kept hidden away. They had never openly criticised his actions in the past. Acnologia was not a fool, he knew why they did so. Either it was not said to avoid offending him or because they thought he was not too fond of his past. The three of them simply accepted him for who he was. The Dragon King wanted to hear their thoughts while also to confirm once and for all whether he was right in bestowing his complete faith in his comrades. The question wasn't one that showed repentance, rather it was one to convince himself once and for all, they were his true and real friends. Dear friends for whom he would gladly sacrifice his life for.

"It proves to me now, more than ever, that I can trust you and your judgements with my life." The Dragon King beamed. "Let me say this Uchiha, my respect for you has grown exponentially."

Acnologia gave a haughty smile. "It also proves the answer I thought of myself is the right one."

The last comment made the other three look at him totally jolted. None of them were expecting such a response from him. What they expected was him to be either angry or annoyed. Acnologia's actions only surprised them.

Acnologia laid both his hands on the table. "I am someone who does not believe in miracles. For me everything comes at a price. One thing life has taught me is that anything you do has its consequences." He asserted.

"This is what I postulate." He ceased for a brief moment.

"There is some purpose that I have to serve in this world. An objective that only I alone can fulfil. It is the sole reason for my existence over here."

"Rather" The dragon slayer scanned the faces of each of them. "This is the reason for our existence on this world. For this world needs us to fulfil a certain duty." The Dragon King concluded.

Gohan and Itachi beamed at each other after the Dragon King had wound up. They were glad that things did not go awry. What Acnologia deduced was not a surprise. All of them had thought about that possibility at some point but never believed in it so much as to say it out loud. They also felt a bit let down for underestimating the Dragon King. He had grown so much since the first time they met. Earlier, his actions and judgements were. However he had changed now. He had also proved that his centuries of living also came with large amount of experience.

Zack was not pleased with any of this. He loathed situations like this. One moment they were talking about sensing some magical energy and in the next, the topic had shifted to something else altogether. The ex-soldier only wanted to think of this as a chance for them to enjoy happiness after living through hell for most of their past.

"Well all that was highly philosophical." Zack retorted sarcastically, unable to hide back his frustration anymore.

"What Acno said was the truth Zacky." The saiyan hybrid intervened. "Don't get so upset over it. It's not like he is going to pack up and leave you behind." Gohan ended with a chuckle, trying to soothe down the former soldier first class.

However, this did not bode well with the ex-soldier who was highly irritated. "All I want to say is that it sucked big time. What is it with you people and your big ass philosophies, trying to find a hidden meaning in everything… no one gives a damn about any of it?" He grit his teeth to indicate his displeasure.

"Zack. Hey, come one buddy." Gohan's attempts to calm him down fell on deaf ears.

The ex-soldier bashed his palm onto the table, shattering his plate along with it. "You guys are always like this. Can't you just chill for a while. You are always about finding a purpose which is all just a load of bullcrap."

The former soldier first class was beyond words. It was as if all the feelings pent up inside him was released in that moment. The broken shards of the plate, had cut his palm and he was bleeding. It wasn't a big concern and his aura would heal him in no time. But the thing was Zack currently did not give a damn about his bleeding palm.

"Zack. Listen to me" Acno came near him and laid a hand on his back.

This gesture caught the ex-soldier by surprise and helped ease the tension a bit. It was highly unlike Acno to try calming down a situation. Zack shifted his gaze towards the dragon slayer who got himself seated beside him. His eyes were open wide in shock from the gesture.

"You are someone who has a rare ability to look ahead whatever the situation. Unlike me, you remain untied by the past, you just keep moving forward. This quality in you, I have always admired." Acnologia's tone was not his usual self. It was still cold, yet in that coldness it emanated a strange sense of warmth and comfort. Zack felt strangely at ease on hearing his words. He did not know why, whether if it was due to Acno acting out of character or because his words showed a lot of care.

Gohan and Itachi were also taken aback by the strange turn of events. But quickly regained their feet and looked at each other in slight shock and admiration for the dragon slayer. The Dragon Slayer had actually swallowed his pride to comfort his friend. It became more evident on how much he had changed.

Itachi had a vague idea of what Acno was about to say. Though this gesture from Acno surprised him, he made efforts to prevent it from showing. He himself was going to say the same thing yesterday, however decided not to at the last moment. Like what he had told the dragon king earlier, this too was something that had to be said.

"But sometimes, Zack. You have to look back." Acnologia continued after a brief pause.

"Honestly, all that you are doing right now is running away from your past. You hide back your tears and put up a brave front in front of us."

Acnologia heaved a deep sigh and braced himself for what he was about to say. "You are a cheerful and optimistic individual. You try your hardest to make sure that none of us feel let down. Every time there is a situation you are there to lighten up the mood That is no reason for you to keep your feelings all locked up inside."

"The ability to keep walking forward in life might be the greatest quality someone can have. That I have no doubt. But it does not mean you should not reminiscence about the path you walked and the memories you had."

"If you keep it all in your heart, one day it will explode and consume you. I know that feeling. It will slowly destroy you." Acnologia concluded with some conviction.

Itachi would describe the situation like an elder brother consoling his younger sibling.

"He's come a long way." The Uchiha mused to himself "You have proved me wrong Acnologia."

Acnologia was still cold and heartless towards everyone else, this Itachi knew very well. But his friends meant more than his life to him. Itachi glanced over to see Gohan too shared his opinion.

An eerie silence prevailed after that. Acno's words hit Zack real hard. Gohan and Itachi were not able to bring themselves to say anything. Zack was just too kind and too good natured. Seeing him hurt like that was not easy for them.

"Guys, it looks like it's really late to think about attending classes." Gohan started. "Why don't we head back to our room?"

Zack did not wait for anyone else to add anything more. He got up and walked back to the room. He was still a bit dazed from what had transpired. He could not think clearly. Acno's words still echoed in his brain.

The rest of them also followed suit. Acnologia walked just behind Zack. Itachi and Gohan walked a bit back assuming a slightly lesser pace.

"I never thought Acno would step up like that." Itachi expressed to the half saiyan as they walked towards their dorm.

Gohan closed his eyes and smiled gently. "It shows he has changed a lot. I told you many times didn't I? He really cares about Zack."

"Did you think it was a bit harsh?" Itachi voiced again.

The saiyan hybrid narrowed his brow "It was something that had to be said one day."

"Honestly, Itachi. He put it a lot better than you would have. You can be really cold sometimes, you know?" Gohan folded his arms as Itachi simpered at the response.

"You were going to say the same thing yesterday, weren't you?" he looked the Uchiha in the eye.

"Yes, I was going to say the same thing."

"But I agree with you. He did say it far better than I ever could."

Gohan nodded gently in approval as they continued to head over to their dorms.

X-X

Night had befallen over Remnant. Stars filled out the night sky. The lack of a full moon made little effect on the beauty of the night. Zack stood alone on the top of Beacon academy. The ex-soldier's face easily gave away the varied emotions he was experiencing now. He was not a good actor and did not know how to lie. He found no sense in lying at all. All this made it such, that even a toddler with no worldly experience could figure out from his face, whether the former soldier first class was experiencing sadness or happiness. Currently, it showed he was more confused than sad.

Zack tried hard to wrap his head around what Acno had said. What stood out most for him was that it came from Acno. Inwardly, he was a bit elated to see that the Dragon King cared about him deeply. However that did not do much to overthrow the other emotions he felt.

Was he actually running away as Acno had said? Honestly, Zack did not know what to make of it, rather he couldn't even understand about what he should even think right now. The only time he cried out his heart was when Angeal had died. The sheer weight he felt during that time, being forced to take the life of his beloved mentor was just too much for him to bear. Even then, he did not waste away his years drowned in sorrow. Angeal had passed on his honour and legacy to him. He had to carry that with pride. And he did carry that with him till his dying breath. Angeal wouldn't want him moping around every day.

When he came to this world, given a second chance, he was simply ecstatic. It did not mean that he forgot the past. He still recollected those days. Many times he just wanted to cry. There were just too much emotions he kept hidden away in his heart. _Looking ahead, not being bound by the past was important but equally important was looking back sometimes and reflecting on everything that had occurred_. It wasn't something entirely new to him. The ex-soldier knew that all too well. Then what differentiated him from the other three? They had accepted their pasts and their actions. Zack never told it out loud, however he too had accepted his past and moved on.

Still the reason for the complex emotions clouding his mind remained elusive. Is it because he did not let his sadness take over him that he felt so confused? Even if he did, how would he let it out? He had always thought about the happiness of his friends, never bothering to think about himself. Believing that he would only add to their burdens. Whatever emotions he felt, they were put aside so that he could be there to support them.

Maybe that was the real answer. The truth was just too simple, he was just a big dummy. He constantly wanted to be there for them but did not consider the reality that they would also always be there for him. Not just to watch over his back, also to lent him a supporting shoulder whenever he needed to. To comfort him when he was sad. To calm him when he was angry. And to lift him up, if he fell down on his knees.

" _Why didn't I realize something so simple, sooner?"_

Zack's many thoughts gently began to calm his heart. Without him knowing, tears had started to swell around his eyes while a few streams trickled down his chin.

He did miss many. His parents, his mentor, his best friend. He wanted to see his parents for one last time and tell them that he loved them and he was sorry he ran away. He wanted his mom and dad to tell him that they were proud of him and everything he had accomplished.

"Zacky, its okay buddy." Zack felt Gohan's arm around his shoulder. "Just let it all out. Cry as much as you need to."

"Know that we will always be there for you."

The former Shinra Soldier did not wait for further invitation. He rested his head against Gohan's shoulder and cried out his heart.

Itachi stood just a bit further back. The Uchiha was happy seeing that their beloved Zack finally realized everything. However he could not deny that seeing the always cheerful Zack cry was not a sight he would want to see again. He would make sure, Zack never shed tears again.

Acnologia stood near the entrance, not looking towards Zack. The Dragon King simply kept staring at the stairs that lead to the entrance. He felt a bit bad with the way he put things. Seeing Zack all teary eyed did not bode well with him. No matter how much the ex-soldier annoyed him, Acnologia thought of him as a little brother.

There were two reasons he kept looking away. One was to hide the emotions of remorse that creeped onto his face. The other was to strike down anyone who would try to come to the top right now. This was an important moment for them and he wasn't going to let anyone interfere in that.

A lot of time had passed. To Zack it felt like only a brief moment. He didn't know how long he wept, but he felt relieved after the ordeal. It was as if a load had been lifted off his chest.

"Told you, it will feel better." Gohan remarked, his hand still wrapped around Zack's shoulder.

The ex-soldier felt a bit embarrassed now, recollecting what he had just done.

"Don't tell anyone about this ok." He added sheepishly.

"It's a promise buddy." Gohan beamed.

Zack returned a snot filled bright smile. "Honestly, I do feel a lot better."

"That is great news." Itachi came upto the duo.

"Remember Zack, we are in this together. You don't have to keep your emotions pent up inside you. We will always be there if you want a supporting shoulder."

Zack saluted back. "Aye Aye Captain."

"Glad to see you are back in top shape already." Itachi joked earning a chuckle from Gohan.

"I think it's time we head back to our dorm." Gohan cut in.

"We got a long day tomorrow."

X-X

Professor Ozpin was still busy in his office going over some transcripts, his counterpart at Haven had sent him. Most of Beacon were fast asleep, but Ozpin could not sleep. What he held in his hands piqued his interest so much. The headmaster of Beacon kept pacing himself across his office room.

"Professor Ozpin." The second in charge of Beacon, Glynda Goodwitch entered the office room interrupting Ozpin.

"It is really late." She tried to hold back the yawns that escaped her.

Ozpin stopped where he stood and looked up, taking his eyes of the files. "Sorry to call you in this late in the night Glynda dear."

"But you have to take a look at this."

Glynda Goodwitch only wished for a single thing right now and that was to go back to her bed. However seeing how much excited the headmaster sounded, made her really interested in what he wanted to say. She took the transcripts from his hands and directed her full attention towards its contents.

The sleepiness she felt a few moments ago began to fade. Glynda Goodwitch could not believe what she had just analysed.  
"Professor, this is astounding." She remarked, readjusting her glasses.

"Lionheart sent me those." Ozpin replied, taking a sip of his beloved coffee mug.

"Looks like Haven also has a bunch of interesting students with them."

Ozpin said those words with such calmness that Glynda found hard to believe how he maintained his composure.

"But these just feel unreal. They finished the initiation in under 3 minutes." Glynda was still trying to fathom what she had just seen.

"These four have no prior affiliation to any combat school. Where did he find them?"

Ozpin chuckled to himself and took out some files he had on is desk. "From what I heard. Two of Haven's final year teams were sent to exterminate a few grimm. But it turned out to be more than what they expected and the situation was as if the village would be overrun at any moment." Ozpin paused a bit as he put the files he held back upon the table.

"Then these four showed up and aided them in slaying the grimm."

The headmaster of Beacon cleared his throat as he continued. "According to the two teams, they killed about a hundred grimm without breaking a sweat."

Professor Ozpin took another sip of coffee, observing his subordinate's face which still had not reeled in from the sudden shock. "I do have doubts on the number of grimm specified. It might be highly exaggerated. However there was no questioning their skills."

"So, like that they were given an invitation to join Haven, which they accepted."

"Well, we also let in a student, somewhat like that." Glynda added slowly recovering back to her senses. "But atleast we have enough information on her."

Professor Ozpin chuckled yet again. "It seems to me that prodigies keep popping out of nowhere now." Ozpin knew some kind of connection must exist between the four he had and the four at Mistral. One of their name itself indicated that.

"Do you mean to say that those four and our four students might be related?" Glynda shot back, deducing what her superior was trying to convey.

"You saw one of their names, didn't you?" Ozpin folded his arms. "It said Uchiha."

"There aren't any other Uchiha's I know of, or are there any family I know that bears that name." Ozpin added as he adjusted his glasses.

"But it is just too soon to run into any conclusions. So I suggest we keep this information between the two of us for the time being."

"What does Lionheart make of this?" Glynda questioned. She always had full faith in Ozpin and his judgements. And did not object to the proposal he made. Ozpin wasn't the person who would say anything without thoroughly thinking it through.

"Do not fret over that Glynda dear" The headmaster stated taking back the transcripts from his subordinate.

"Honestly, quite a few heads were turned when word got out that those four had joined Beacon. Leonardo just wanted to boast that he has a team of highly skilled students that could challenge ours." Ozpin answered confidently.

"From is message to me, I feel that's as far as it goes for him."

"That is… good news." Glynda rubbed her temples to desperately calm herself. Any sleep she had was all gone now.

"Should we enquire about this to our students?"

"Keep it away from them for now" Ozpin sipped on his coffee. "If they are related in any way, it might cause some situations which I want to avoid."

The headmaster then sighed to himself before continuing. "Then again Glynda, they are our students."

"In reality, it pains me to view them with such suspicion. Though I feel it might hold some truth, it does not actually justify my actions." Ozpin paused for a brief moment.

"They do not seem to have any negative intentions but something about them seems very odd to me."

Glynda retorted rather abruptly "I have to take my leave now Professor." She prepared to take her leave.

All of this was a bit too much for her to take in. Anymore and she felt she would lose her sanity. Yesterday, she witnessed a teenager rip apart three deathstalkers like they were straw dolls, then decapitate a Nevermore without even trying, one of them flied through the air carrying three of his teammates with him not even remotely fazed by the weight.

Then today at this late hour, she went through videos of four teenagers swat lancers like they were flies, tear apart four Beringels like a piece of paper and see one of them shoot fire.

"Now I have a whole lot to think about." It was giving her a headache above anything else. At one point she even thought she might be dreaming.

"You too better get some sleep Professor Ozpin" Glynda added as she opened the door and left, not waiting for any permission from her superior.

"Good night Glynda dear." Ozpin waved her off. "See you tomorrow."

" _But I have lost my sleep for today_." He mused to himself.

 **X-X**

 **Before I go, I want to apologise to everyone for the delay and also for the entire chapter being rushed and too much out of place. Initially this chapter was not intended to be like this, but I wanted to show the different sides of Acno and Zack. Frankly, I have been showing only a single side of both of them.**

 **Most importantly, I wanted to showcase the character development of Acno**.

 **Feel free to leave your thoughts and feedbacks at the review section or go ahead and PM me.**

 **If you deem my story as worth following or favouriting, go ahead and hit the Fav, Follow button.**

 **We part now only to meet again next chapter**

 **Take care all you lovely people out there.**


	6. A Test Of Bonds

Hey there guys and girls, **WATCHER89** here with a new chapter.

First and most importantly **A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU**. (I know it's pretty late and all.) Hope you guys had a blast on the holidays.

And I sincerely apologize for the long wait. The only excuse I have to give is the chapter itself. Like the previous one, I wrote this chapter because an interesting future development struck me. For that, I had to write this chapter down from scratch. So, I started working on it. After about 10k words I was highly unsatisfied and so I redid the entire thing. Again that repeated itself and along came another rewrite. Finally, after my third rewrite. I ended up with a 40k monstrosity. Well, it would have exceeded that if I had gone all out everywhere.

 _ **Now, to answer a few reviews**_.

 **SomeOneRandom:** Thank you. I have some form of alibi planned for Zack.

 **Avenger:** Thank you. You did send me a Pm with your real account and we talked about it there. So, there is nothing more to say. Hope you continue to enjoy it.

 **billeykeo95:** Zack x Ruby is a thing. So, yea I'll make sure to flesh it out.

 **123GOHANZ:** Thanks for reminding me. I actually did forget about it. Ha, Ha.

 **Roze:** Your advice is duly noted. You were right about the problem with Word. I actually realized it sooner, after posting the previous chapter. You can see that difference in this chapter.

 **Reviewer:** It's like Vance martin stated. Nothing more to add from my end. His human form was shown in the manga and in the latest movie.

 _ **And you guys should have noticed the change in the cover art. It was the masterful work of johnnyjay84. Massive thanks to you man for letting me use it. Please check out his art on deviant art. Search for Team IZAG by 'johnnyjayt88'**_.

 _That's enough ranting from my end. Off we go into the story._

 **Disclaimer:** **Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super, Naruto, Final Fantasy 7, Fairy Tail and RWBY belong to their respective owners. I do not own anything except this fan fiction and my OC's.**

 _ **X-X**_

 _ **Four years into the past**_ **,**

"This is so boring." Zack Knight, one of the hottest prodigies at Alsius academy, and who was earmarked to attain greatness in the future, kept whining to his team leader.

"They sent us to take out some grimm and I haven't seen even one." He continued with both his hands on the back of his head. "Waaah!

Zack wore his usual combat attire, the one he wore during his days as a Shinra soldier. His hairstyle was different. He had cut it out to be short and spiky.

Gohan wore his regular orange gi with a blue undershirt and orange pants. His hair was cut short with a few strands that projected out here and there.

Acnologia sill wore the same apparel he had worn for the most time in his life. There was nothing different about him except for his younger appearance.

Itachi was the only one who dressed up according to what the weather demanded. He wore a long, dark, blue coloured, woollen T-shirt with an ash grey scarf wrapped around his neck. His trademark ponytail was shorter.

 _This was one of the warmer months in Atlas and so the cold was not that severe. To add to that, the area they were currently present was also located on the milder parts in the continent of Solitas. These warmer conditions allowed for the growth of forests and vegetation, and availability of cultivable land. Another thing it also accorded for, was the presence of grimm in larger numbers. These areas were better suited for human settlement and that also meant it was much better suited for the black beasts also. Most of the grimm population in the kingdom of Atlas were concentrated on these parts. As a result of this abnormal presence of grimm, such areas were deemed uninhabitable. There were myths about numerous ss class grimm in these parts, although no proof, except for traveller tales to validate their existence._

 _There was a legend that goes where, a battle was once fought during the Great War on these parts, but both armies were annihilated due to the sudden emergence of a dragon which along with it brought in massive hordes of grimm. Whether it was courtesy of these myths or the discernible ubiquity of the black demons, there was limited human presence in these parts and also minimal government intervention. Still, the availability of cultivable land and forest resources proved a bit of attraction, giving rise to tiny villages and nomadic tribes that tenanted these lands. The villages mostly consisted of former employees of a mine that used to be located in this area. And the majority of the populace were faunus. When the mine collapsed, the only thing, that attracted the interest of the officials disappeared along with it. So, the humans and faunus that currently lived here received no attention or major aid from the Kingdom of Atlas. Anything they received was either in paper only, or done to pacify them. Bandits and large illegal organization roamed free here. Like the grimm, majority of the illegal activities, in Atlas or maybe even in all of Remnant, ranging from human trafficking to drug cartels could be found here. Maybe this also augmented the growth of the black beasts as grimm were attracted to negative emotions. These factors contributed to naming these areas as Forsaken Lands among the ones who were fortunate enough to live by in the cities. With racial tensions escalating day by day, such areas with larger faunus population were left to suffer. The Government turned a blind eye to them. Political interests and connections in illegal coteries, gave these cartels and consortiums, all the protection they needed to exploit the helpless inhabitants of these parts._ _The people lived here, waging battles against the grimm and against transgressors, on their own._

Itachi Uchiha, the team leader who was walking behind him and, side by side with the demi saiyan, Son Gohan, maintained his composure all through this ordeal. The former soldier had been moaning and complaining like a four year old kid ever since they began the walk towards their destination. Though the sharingan user maintained his calm demeanour, he was almost nearing his breaking point. He kept pinching the bridge of his nose to compose himself.

Three years had already passed and he had learnt how to cope up with his raven haired sword wielding companion. Though the guy was sometimes a headache to deal with, there was no denying his loyalty and love. And Itachi respected his attitude, though he acted like a child most of the time.

"Zacky, do you even know what the mission is?" Son Gohan, questioned the ex-soldier as he shot glances at both the Uchiha and the ex-soldier simultaneously.

It failed to force Zack turn back. "We have to beat sense into a few grimm that's been eating all the corn, isn't it?" The ex-soldier acted totally aloof and uninterested. Still, not looking at the speaker.

Gohan sweat dropped at this. "No that's not it."

Itachi held back from gritting his teeth in irritation. Of course Zack would have no idea about the mission. He was absent during the briefing given by the headmaster and slept halfway through Itachi's planning. Add to that the guy had a short attention span.

"The mission is to investigate the current surge in the grimm attacks in the village Onyx." Gohan sighed before stating it. That sigh of his also showed he was mentally taxed.

Zack pretended to be confused. "But you were discussing about corns on the airship?" He turned to the half saiyan with a puzzled expression.

Itachi felt his brow twitch in annoyance. "Zack" He retorted to the ex-soldier with slight anger laced in his tone.

"Gohan and I were discussing about our semester end tests due next month. It had nothing to do with corns. From where did the corn come up?" Itachi facepalmed. "You have just been watching too much television."

Zack scratched his head and looked at the Uchiha. "You should have told me about that earlier."

"I assumed you were talking about the mission back then." Zack went on, now facing forward again. "When I think about it, you never told me any details about the mission."

"Hmphh. Some team leader you are caps." He added sarcastically trying his best to hide the fact that he was really annoyed.

The tick marks on Itachi's face grew bigger by the second. "Why you…" He clenched his fists in anger and the words that came out were barely audible.

Gohan reacted immediately and tried to calm down Itachi and preclude him from doing anything else. Zack walked ahead unaware of the state of affairs unfolding behind him.

The reality was all his reactions were a farce in order to lighten up the mood. Somehow it always felt like there was this strange tension that prevailed over their group. Gohan was having one of his days and was more gloomy than usual. Even in his normal mood, he rarely had on an honest smile. His past was still brooding over him and whatever Zack did, he could not break through that shell. Itachi was the only person among them who felt like a normal person, but since it was their first mission, he was being too cautious. Acnologia was practically unapproachable. He was not much of a talker and never exposed himself to anyone which made it hard to deduce what he really felt. One thing the ex-soldier had come to understand was that the dragon king considered them as allies now, judging from the way he was before when they first met, and the way he was now. Even then, he still maintained his distance between them and remained grumpy and annoyed all the time. There wasn't a single instant where he would initiate a conversation with them. He only talked when he was asked about something, never voiced his opinion unless in rare circumstances and always had that hateful expression plastered on his face. Zack tried his best to get closer to him, cracking jokes about him and mocking him. These would result in him getting really hurt. However he did not mind that, it slowly helped in bridging the gap between them.

.

"Calm down Itachi." The demi saiyan pleaded desperately. His arm was around the Uchiha's shoulder. "It was just a joke."

Itachi heaved a heavy sigh to placate himself. To be more precise, he himself was getting irritated at the strange atmosphere. Although he made no effort in rectifying it. In a way, he couldn't deny that Zack's intervention was helpful.

"Whatever." The normal collected tone was back. "Let us just get going."

Gohan exasperated in relief. " _That was close_."

The saiyan hybrid did not want any sort of argument or fight to break out now. He had one of those nightmares yesterday and was still recuperating from its aftereffects. At present, he was mentally drained but made no trial to convey that. There was little to no interest or excitement in him for this first mission they were assigned to. One reason he decided to tag along was not to be a bother to the others, and the other was in belief that this might help him take his mind off things for some time, while also being able to extend aid to the villagers.

Acnologia who was regarded as the strongest one among the four walked a little distance behind the three. Almost a year was about to pass since they joined the combat school. He was not at all pleased with the turn of events. The dragon slayer had to abide by human laws, listen and tolerate humans barking their orders to him. How many times did he have to hold back from ripping out the heads of many? If it were not for these three comrades of his, surely Remnant would also have faced the terror of the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse.

Many things he never understood, and these thoughts clouded his mind above anything else. Why was he dragged along to _some mission_ to protect a few weakling humans? The weak would perish to pave the way for the growth of the strong. That was the universal law to him. However, he found himself starting to grow deeply attached to these three, who he would label as friends. This was the sole reason he accompanied them. He hated and despised everything and everyone else. But these three he could never bring himself to hurt them physically or emotionally. This was the sole reason he had swallowed his pride to abide by human laws. He regarded them as his friends. Whatever the reason were, he did not want to lose them. The feelings of friendship, love and kindness, it had been so long since he experienced those. He could not even remember what they felt like. Somehow, now it felt like those were coming back to him. But even still, he felt those emotions only towards these three. The rest of the mortals were still putrid insects to him. This was the answer he could not find at all, the answer to why he grew attached to them. Maybe it was because he regarded them as his equals. Still, was there anything more to it?

Zack gently slowed down his pace for Itachi to catch up to him. "Hey caps." The ex-soldier had his hands on his pocket and his intonation was apologetic.

"Are you still mad about earlier?" He questioned with puppy eyes.

Itachi lightly chuckled at his comical expression. He could never stay angry at Zack for long. Sometimes he was a pain to deal with, however without him they would just be a group of boring individuals. He was the optimistic and cheerful personality in the group. Always there to lighten up the mood, and going to great lengths to make sure everyone remains in a good mood, even when he had to make a fool of himself sometimes.

Itachi wrapped his right arm around the former soldier's shoulders. "No Zacky..."

"On second thought, maybe a little." Itachi retorted quickly, his facial expression changing to meet his words.

Zack put his left arm around Itachi's shoulders. "I got a deal that will calm you down."

"How about I give you a lifetime membership to Zack's fan club for free." He whispered in his ear. 

"My fan club is twice as big as yours." Itachi shot back with a deadpanned expression, tying down the urge to smirk. "I will let you join mine if you plead enough"

Zack pouted at the response while Gohan mused lightly in the background. "You are no fun caps." He stated taking away his arms off Itachi's shoulders while also forcing the latter's arm off him. "You are supposed to say ' _I am honoured to join your fan club_.' "

The Uchiha held let out a laugh as he held his sides.

"How about I let the both of you join the Gohan fans club." The demi saiyan joined in on the fun. The light exchange made him ease up for a while.

"You don't have one." The other two shot back in unison.

Gohan sheepishly scratched his head in response. "I will someday."

Acnologia was still not amused with all the happenings. He was just too ticked to actually enjoy anything at the moment. This also added fuel to another thought that had been burning up inside him. Somehow they had settled down amidst everything while he was still reeling in on the fact about why he was in this strange world. Even now, he felt a bit distant from them on this. Some strange form of insecurity crept up inside him. Their pasts and his past were totally different but they had no qualms about accepting him for who he was. They were heroes and he was a villain. Somewhere he felt himself wanting to try and gain their acknowledgement and complete trust. He believed there was still distrust in their minds about him. As if he was sometimes left out. Again it was the same thing, he did not understand why he wanted to gain their trust so desperately?

"I really hope my semblance would just show." Zack's pleas broke through the laughs. Itachi and Gohan slowly ceased their amusement and guided their minds towards Zack's little trouble that had been bothering him for some time.

"You will unlock it in time Zacky." Gohan consoled him. "It's like the professors said, it takes a lot of time to identify your semblance."

Zack bit his cheeks and hummed. "That's not it G man." He placed both his hands on the back of his head as they continued to walk towards the village.

"Like I told you, when I activate my semblance all I get is this chilly feeling and nothing else. It practically does nothing. I tried a lot of things but no, nothing. It's all nada." The ex-soldier hung his head after he said those words in a single breath.

"Work on it Zack." The Uchiha intervened, his arms folded to compliment his sombre expression. "You will unlock it soon."

"Gyaah." The ex-soldier was getting annoyed. He literally pulled out a few strands of hair after that statement. "I keep telling you its UNLOCKED ALREADY. The thing is, I don't know what it does. That's all."

Itachi had no idea how semblances worked or how semblances felt. He simple passed off his illusions as his semblance, when the reality was that it was nothing compared to what he was capable off. So, in this situation he had no idea whether Zack really unlocked his semblance or if it was something else. This clearly was not his area of expertise. And since it was so, he commenting further on the topic would lead to no conclusion.

"Then work hard on finding out what it is then." Itachi forced his lips to a curve. "I believe it might be something grand and spectacular."

"Of course it will. I am telling you it's gonna be really awesome caps." Zack cut in before Itachi could finish. He then proceeded to comically rub his sides and jump up and down. "Come on semblance buddy, just show me what you can do already."

His antics were making Gohan laugh out loud. The Uchiha chuckled to himself and looked at Zack with admiration as they continued to tread through the forest.

" _Looks like you have fulfilled your intended purpose Zack_." He contemplated to himself. " _You have my thanks for that_."

X-X

"So this is Onyx." The Uchiha voiced to the rest of the team. "It really looks shabby and poor. And its present condition does not fit the description we were given in the slightest." His quick overview of the place was well in agreement with the other three.

They had set out towards the village at about six in the morning. Now at late afternoon they found themselves at their destination. Onyx was not what they had expected it to be. The entire village gave out an aura of depravity and gloominess. Majority of the houses were only big enough to hardly house a single family. Even the bigger ones could be considered tiny compared to the city dwellings. In the centre stood a large grey coloured church and another large building which seemed like a hall for festivities, which were the only highlights in that place. The grimm attacks had left the entire vicinity on its knees. A few of the houses were damaged and most of their fields were destroyed. This was a major issue especially in Atlas where the climate was severely harsh. The small group of the villagers who could be seen outside seemed dull and lifeless. Onyx was completely isolated from an outsider's point of view. Bandits could roam free in it and no one would even know about it. The fact that it was enclosed on all sides by forests, which were a rare sight in this icy continent of Solitas, did not help the cause either. To pile on to that, the majority of the village population comprised of Faunus. In the kingdom of Atlas which was notorious for its racism towards faunus, it wouldn't come out as a major surprise if the woes of a village like this fell on deaf ears.

Itachi Uchiha could compare it to the many war torn smaller villages caught between the wars between the bigger ones, he had seen during his days as a shinobi of the hidden leaf. One thing this dreary sight assured him of was that whatever plagued the village was not limited to grimm attacks. Even if they were, then the intensity of those attacks conveyed to them paled in comparison to the real scenario. The sight that lay before them gave out a different story altogether. Maybe it was the issue of racial prejudice that had resulted in the pleas of help from this faunus dominated village, being overlooked. From what the Uchiha had learned so far, even final year students from the senior academies, unless they were extremely talented, were not sent to secluded grimm infested sites unless accompanied by a concerned faculty. So it was a surprise to see them being assigned such a mission. It was not a question of skill. If it was, in that aspect they outclassed everyone in Remnant. However in the eyes of the rest of the world, they were just first year junior academy students, even though they were deemed to be prodigies.

He trusted their headmaster along with all the faculties at Alsius. So there was no point in doubting them. The individual who was responsible for conveying the problems to the higher ups, purposefully scaled down the threat level such that, it was deemed to be only at the level of a junior academy student. In conclusion, sending them to this village was like telling its populace that they did not give a damn about them. Discrimination on the basis of race had ended in heaping up the agony of this place.

The four walls of the big cities gave a picture of false serenity according to the Uchiha. Only when villages like these enjoyed peace, Remnant could claim to have achieved true peace. Even now, it seemed a farfetched ideal when the citizens of this world were locked in a conflict among themselves. Back in his world, the five chief villages would find themselves in conflict with each other and these often lead to devastating wars. But here, the enmity was between two races. The dominating race abused and condemned the other only because they were born with additional features. Then there was a third party, the grimm who were the natural enemy of both factions. Among all these, the Uchiha could also see sparks of rising tensions among the four kingdoms. In case a war would break out between them, it would leave the entire planet a mere wasteland and nothing else.

Itachi wanted to prevent such an occurrence. He had seen the savage side of war and did not want to see another one in his lifetime again. Whatever the politics of this world was, it allowed him to live freely and with a peace of mind. For that, he owed something to Remnant. Still it was beyond his power to put to rest the battle between the two races. The strife between humans and faunus would cease only when a sense of understanding, mutual trust and a feeling of equality would surface in the minds of both parties. There was no hope of forcing it into them. He knew very well what would happen if anyone tried forcing the concept of peace into the minds of the citizens. Therefore, intervening in that matter was beyond him. Both humans and faunus were to blame in this issue. They were unwilling to unite against a common enemy. Humans racially abused and mistreated the faunus and only regarded them no better than animals. The faunus in return turned violent with the help of organizations like the white fang who had taken more than enough human lives already. The Uchiha never differentiated people on their appearances but only on what was in their hearts. In this battle between the two races he would only remain as a neutral party, who wanted both of them to come in terms with each other. His support would extend to only those who needed it irrespective of their race.

In the beginning however, he leaned towards the faunus a bit. Somehow he equated their plight to that of his own clan who were treated like strangers by the Konohagakure big shots in their own village, though they were among the founding clans of the hidden leaf. But that stance had changed with the recent white fang activities. Initially the fang were just a group of peaceful protestors now turned violent with the change in leadership. The Uchiha had earlier many a times, extended aid to their activities. Howbeit, he despised the white fang now. The attacks of the fang were not only limited to humans alone. It also extended to faunus who stood against their ideals. In many cases, they would commit violence against populations where both races lived in harmony for the purpose of dividing them on racial lines. This took away the nobility of the cause they used to fight for initially. The white fang now wanted the extinction of the humans and the faunus who stood against them. That was no different from the humans wanting to annihilate the entire faunus race. So, in the present situation, the white fang were really just, terrorists. They were in fact no better than savage animals.

Once a bomb planted by the white fang had resulted in the deaths of an entire innocent faunus family who had once sheltered the four of them, along with a lot of other civilians. The husband was a former important fang member, who quit when the organization moved towards radical methods. Their attack held the intention of disposing off a deserter, but they masked it under the pretence of being their declaration of war against the misdeeds conducted upon the faunus. From that day onwards, the white fang became an enemy to him. He never intended to confront them head on, however if they were ever to cross paths, he would annihilate them ruthlessly.

For everything Remnant provided him with, he would protect its citizens. The ones who deserved to be saved and protected. For this, he had decided to become a hunter which would let him fulfil this aim. After he had become a hunter he would travel around the world extending help to everyone who deserved it. Still, he would never intervene in the war between humans and faunus as he felt that neither faction were right in their ideals and beliefs. He would only side with the weak and the innocent who really deserved help, irrespective of their race. But in case war became inevitable, he would decide then with whom to side with.

X-X

The four of them were the centre of attention for all the villagers present. It wasn't every day that strangers or visitors came to Onyx. Especially kids who looked like they were ready for combat. Zack who usually enjoyed the attention now found himself feeling a bit awkward. Some of them viewed the group with suspicion and only a handful displayed a welcoming look on their faces. These welcoming looks had the feeling of hope mixed with it.

The ex-soldier walked upto a lean looking, burnt olive- haired man, who, was by all means in his early thirties. "Excuse me, buddy. Could you tell me where can I find Mr. Brown.?" He asked with some authority which was highly unlike him. It was that this atmosphere he found himself in made him a bit defensive.

The recipient of the question eyed him with suspicion for a moment, carefully examining the ex-soldier. He was among the villagers who had that welcoming look still seeing the newcomer up close invoked a bit of suspicion in him.

The villager placed the sack he was carrying over his shoulders, onto the ground beside him. "Can you tell me who you are son?" He responded satisfied with his analysis of the ex-soldier.

"Sorry for that. I haven't properly introduced myself." Zack returned with a smile. "My name is Zack." He extended his hand towards the villager who, shook it after a short while of deliberating.

"Our team were tasked with helping you with the grimm problem." He said it a bit loud and with absolute confidence. That response was enough to make everyone in the vicinity to gather around them.

"Did you say you were sent by Atlas higher ups to help us?" Someone amongst the crowd remarked which signalled the beginning of a noisy commotion, discussing about the four of them. By now a small crowd had formed around Zack and the three others, who themselves stood a few metres behind the former soldier. Everyone present were now carefully analysing the newcomers and giving their own conclusions about them. The expression of their faces exuded elation.

"But they are just children no matter how you look at it." Another voice was heard amongst the gathering.

"Kids these days are stronger than what their age says." Another voice argued in IZAG's favour.

Itachi confirmed from this reaction that for so long the cries of the villagers were left unheard. Their presence here was like beacon of hope to them. They did not care if they were children or not, just the thought that someone came to their aid was enough to brighten them up.

Gohan too shared the sentiment and he too had arrived at the same conclusion as the Uchiha. But unlike Itachi, he felt immense rage that innocent people were left to suffer for so long just because many of them were of a different race. The saiyan hybrid clenched his fists to pacify himself. Whenever he saw people with helplessness in their eyes, it invoked horrible memories in him. Still, he bit his tongue to contain the anger and frustration that took over him. The villagers needed him to remain calm and assure them that it was going to be all right. Displaying what he felt inside publicly, would do no good in the present situation.

"But that kid with the black cloak looks really strong. He's got a face scarier than any grimm I have seen." Someone else added from the crowd, deriving an angry scoff from the dragon slayer.

"Come to think of it, he looks like those voodoo people." Another comment broke through the noise.

Zack chuckled at the wrong kind of attention Acno was receiving. He nudged the dragon slayer on the shoulder to divert his attention to the reactions.

Acnologia did not like being surrounded like this nor their insulting remarks. Zack nudging him, coupled with all this, highly ticked him off. But still, he did not react. The dragon king just gulped it all down and bore with it. If he were alone right now, their lives would have escaped them long ago. Again it was that strange desire to earn their trust that helped contain his emotions.

"Please pardon us for the fuss, gentlemen." A grey short, haired man of lean built, pushed his way through the gathering. "I sincerely apologise for it."

"I am the village chief Arlo Brown." He bowed slightly as he greeted the four of them.

Itachi keenly observed Arlo. He would put him around in his late sixties. His face showed how much weight he had been carrying by himself to keep the village safe. The village chief's hair was messy and his features projected that all of these incidents were taking a toll on his health. There was so much relief that seeped through his features in learning that help had arrived. His eyes were of a light green shade and he had two white ears projecting above his head. He was a faunus like most of the village populace.

"Mr. Brown." Itachi began calmly when the fuss had died down. "Considering all that I have seen, I have to assume that the problem you have been facing is quite serious."

"So, I would like to get into the matter as soon as possible without any further delays." His voice displayed a bit of impatience and showed how much serious he was. "Can you tell us in detail, what has been troubling the village?"

"You see..." The village chief was quite taken aback from the sudden request from the Uchiha. He was diving straight into the heart of the matter without any further niceties. Arlo collected himself after a brief while, looked at each of the four teenagers, and began with a shaky tone, only to be suddenly interrupted by Itachi.

"We might be kids. But let me assure you Mr. Arlo Brown, we are among the best Atlas has to offer. There is no threat that we cannot handle. So I request you to be truthful and not hold back any details." The Uchiha said those directly looking old man Brown in the eye. It was said with so much conviction that the chief felt a sense of security and his initial fears slowly dispelled away.

"Then I will spare no details…em…"

"Itachi. Itachi Uchiha." The leader of IZAG cut in. "My friends here are Gohan, Zack and Acnologia." He added pointing towards each of his comrades.

"It is a pleasure to have you here gentlemen." The village chief stated as he looked at each of them with a welcoming smile.

"Now it's time you began Mr. Brown." Itachi folded his arms and took on a serious expression. "Once again I implore you not to hold back any details."

The village chief looked at the faces of each of them once again and heaved a deep sigh before he started. "There used to be a dust mine near this area, and our village was established by the employees of that mine. So, it took many years for us to be recognized by the Atlas administration as a settlement." He barely began but almost choked on his words.

"We have been plagued by grimm attacks for many years now. They suddenly appear out of nowhere and attack those working in the fields or out in the forests surrounding us." The man's tone was that of someone who had given up all hope and his eyes were downcast. This reaction was also seen in the villagers around them. When he began his narrative, the faces of those around him likewise, turned glum. "These attacks used to remain limited to the outskirts till now."

His demeanour turned bleak. "But for the past few days, the attacks have really surged. They now attack the village directly during dusk. We tried our best to hold them back but you see we are not very experienced in combat. We are just plain folks who get by with what we sow in our fields and what the forest provide us." A few tears trickled down his cheek as he spoke.

The village chief halted for a while to clear his throat. "We have lost a lot of our good folk already."

"But that is not the major plight we face now." Brown paused for a bit again to dry his tears. His visage was still woeful. "Many of our children have gone missing during these attacks. We don't know if they were taken by the grimm or not. Whether they are still alive or not." He went on, on the verge of breaking down.

A pregnant pause ensued before Arlo Brown mustered up enough strength to continue. He clenched his fists and continued after a deep breath. "Yesterday, the lifeless body of one of our daughters was found in the forest."

He stopped abruptly and laid both of his hands on the Uchiha's shoulders. "It was not the doing of some grimm." He said those words directly looking him in the eye. "We are just a bunch of weak and helpless people. We have no idea on what to do. All our cries for aid have fallen into deaf ears. Can you really help us Itachi?" These last few sentences really hit the Uchiha. Itachi's usually emotionless face started exhibiting a tinge of sadness and anger.

Itachi unfolded his arms and used them to take off the chief's arms off him. "Dry those tears Arlo Brown." He stated holding the hands of the old man in an act of support.

"I Itachi Uchiha swear on my pride and honour as an Uchiha, that I would put an end to this misery that has been tormenting you." He added placing his right arm on his chest.

His eyes were fixated on the chief's. It was more than enough to calm down the old man and also the villagers around them. Itachi barely let his emotions show except around his comrades. However, here he needed to showcase the compassion he felt in his heart. It was no use to keep it inside. These people needed reassuring words of kindness. There was no use in viewing them with caution like he always did.

Arlo was somehow able to coerce his lips to form a curve. "Thank You.' That was all the village chief could mumble as a reply.

The ex-soldier who listened to all this decided to enter into the fray. "We may be just junior academy students but we are better than anybody. So just rest assure, consider the grimm and the missing children problems history already." Zack directed towards the rest of the villagers with his right fist raised into the sky. He was faking his composure just like Gohan was. When he heard the case of children missing along with the death of a child, So much anger was building inside him. No one had the right to exploit poor helpless civilians and he would show no mercy to anyone who would do something like that to a little girl.

The demi saiyan too felt his blood boiling at the end of the narrative. What struck out to him the most was that the village chief told them everything without missing even a single incident. He told them about the little girl even when he could have skipped it and even when it was so hard on him to say it. Mr. Brown narrated everything without taking a break even when it tore him apart inside. It pointed towards only one thing according to the saiyan hybrid. Utter hopelessness. These people have been neglected and their plight was overlooked many times that they were practically begging to them for help.

Gohan wanted to comfort them with words of assurance. However he himself was going through various emotions inside. The half saiyan wasn't the best when it came to concealing what was in his heart. His daring effort at doing so now barely halted his rage from surfacing on his face. If he opened his mouth in this situation, it would unmask that pent up rage. The citizen of Onyx needed many things but witnessing how much angry and frustrated he was, was not among those things.

The dragon king did not care about the villagers or about the demise of that girl. It meant nothing to him. These people could all die and he wouldn't bother. According to his views, it was always the survival of the fittest. These people were weak, so they had to pave way for the strong. The strong could always do what it pleased to the weak. He found no reason to extend aid to such pathetic humans who would surrender their pride and beg for mercy. A slight smirk appeared on his face showing his displeasure at this. It went unnoticed to everyone except to Itachi Uchiha.

Unknowing to Acnologia, the Uchiha was viewing him from the corner of his eye after the village chief had finished. His thoughts were easily deciphered by the sharingan user. Unlike Gohan and Zack, Itachi never trusted Acnologia completely. Gohan and Zack were too good natured that they would never view Acno with any suspicion. They thought of him as a dear friend, but not him. According to Itachi, Acnologia was dangerous. It did not mean he never cared for him. No, he did. He did regard him as a companion but not as a friend. The Uchiha wasn't someone who would easily invest his complete trust in people. This was particularly true in the case of the dragon slayer. Seeing how in many situations Acnologia was ready to forsake his pride for them, Itachi never doubted his standing with their group. But still that wasn't enough of a reason for him not to view the dragon king as a possible threat. The dragon king only acted when they asked him to. He was someone who would never move an inch or even generate an iota of care even if he saw a little kid stabbed in front of his eyes. This was something that made Itachi wary of him. He would fight for any cause they fought for irrespective of whether he cared or not. As if he only did it for their sake only. His actions still failed to allay Itachi's doubts about him. And as long as they were with him, he was harmless but if left to his own devices, he could turn out to be the greatest threat Remnant had ever faced. This was the quandary that kept on pricking the Sharingan user's brain. Someone, who did not award human life even the value of that of an insect, might one day evolve into a formidable enemy if left unchecked. Maybe this suspicions had something to do the way he was raised as a shinobi or maybe it was due to him not able to forgive Acnologia for the deeds he had done in the past. Whatever the reasons were, Itachi Uchiha did not trust him wholeheartedly. And this situation they found themselves in would be the perfect chance to test whether he was wrong or right for doubting him.

"Mr. Brown, you said these grimm attacks occur during dusk?" Itachi resumed, gaining a nod in the affirmative from the village chief.

The sharingan user laid a finger on his chin. "I suggest you and the rest of the villagers remain indoor for the time being. We will investigate on the matter further. Beginning right now." His tone was one of despotic authority. And his disposition showed he wanted quick results.

"Alright. Thank you again for agreeing to aid us." Arlo Brown bowed slightly. He did not want to pose any more queries at Itachi seeing as how serious he was. He directed the gathered villagers to go back to their houses as the Uchiha had suggested. It was already late afternoon and dusk was not too far off. That must have been the cause of Itachi wanting to have quick results.

The villagers did not question their chief, when he instructed them to return to their homes. They simply followed as he directed them. Itachi construed that the man was highly respected and held in very high regard in the village from this little reaction. Even he himself had a newfound respect for the old man. The chief was someone who cared for everyone as if they were his children. This village was a place where both faunus and humans lived in harmony. The humans had no problems with a faunus being their leader here. This was an example of an ideal society according to him, something the White Fang had lost sight of. The Uchiha's urge to protect the village multiplied tenfold after this. Whatever happens, he would keep these folks safe.

Acnologia paid no heed to anything unfolding around him. What peaked his interest was something else. With his superior olfactory senses, he was able to detect traces of the scents of many people. Most of it were that of the citizens, however what stood out for him was the scent of outsiders. Even in the tiny shred of their scent, _these outsiders_ left behind, the malevolence was clearly evident.

" _So humans preying on humans. The usual cycle repeats itself."_

The dragon king could also uncover the scent left by the grimm who attacked yesterday. There wasn't any large scale attack. At the most maybe, there were two to three lower class grimm. Considering the fact that, these humans had no skill in combat at all, it wouldn't be a surprise if that itself posed a major hurdle to them. Then there was the scent of human blood, no doubt from those who had perished guarding the village. But a rather unexpected development attracted his attention. The grimm that attacked the village had the scent of these outsiders he sensed earlier, transfused with it.

" _That explains the grimm attacks and the kidnappings_." He said to himself, inaudible to the others around him.

Acnologia speculated for a while whether this was something that needed to be conveyed or not. After arriving at a conclusion, he proceeded to disclose what he deciphered to Itachi. He barely lifted his feet when suddenly, someone bumped into him from the back. This broke off his attention from what he was about to do. A filthy human colliding with him made his anger spike. He turned towards the transgressor, who was a little girl about 3 years younger to his present age. The impact had made her fall onto the ground and she was fumbling with her hands to get back upon her feet.

"So sorry, sorry, sorry." She apologized rising to her feet and bowing furiously. She then walked straight upto him as if it was a robotic action and took hold of his hand. "Sorry again. I was so happy that I kept running and…" He searched for words to express what she wanted to express. To anyone watching this, it was easy to assume that she was really clumsy in her actions. Her face was severely repentant, so much that it could invoke pity in almost anyone. But currently, this action of hers only conjured concern from the other three academy students.

From Acnologia's viewpoint, she was nothing but a fragile girl who barely reached his shoulder in height. One hit from him was enough to cease her breathing. In any normal situation, that would have been the aftereffect of bumping into him and going as far as to grab his hand. However in this present position, the dragon king found himself, unable to even raise a finger at her. He stood there completely dazed after laying his eyes upon her. It was the expression of an individual, bewildered when they met someone from their past. An expression which showed that this meeting triggered ages old memories.

" _No, it can't be. The resemblance is uncanny_." His mind echoed.

The girl with her light brown hair and blue eyes was the exact replica of the girl whose life he couldn't save all those years ago. It resulted in being one of the major driving forces in his quest to slay all the dragons. One of the lives he regretted not being able to protect. After whose demise, he made a promise that he would annihilate all the scaled beasts from the world. It wasn't in him to be interested by a lower life form. But this was nothing like he had experienced before.

Although this encounter did not last more than a few moments, to him it felt like a long time had elapsed. Acnologia was not the sentimental type. Maybe he was once such an individual, though he could not remember. He very well knew this frail little girl before him was not the same girl from his past. Still, that understanding did not do any good to hasten the process of reeling him back from the sudden jolt of emotions. It was as if he was laying his eyes on an exact copy of that girl. It broke open the cage that kept his past memories sealed.

As the dragon slayer stood there with his gaze fixed on her, the village chief came near her and began scolding her for her rude behaviour.

"Irina, don't trouble our guests like that, okay." He chastised her, pulling her close to him and breaking her hold on the dragon slayer's hand. His voice was strict but not intimidating. It only felt like a loving parent correcting his beloved child.

"Sorry grandpa. I was so excited when I heard that people had come to save our village. That was why I came running." She explained in a contrite voice, making defensive actions and not bothering to breathe in between.

"Sorry again Mr..." She bowed again in a random direction, while also panting as she tried to regain her breath from all the running and all the breathless apologizing.

Arlo Brown ruffled her hair in a loving manner. "You have to excuse her son. I sincerely beg our pardon for her rudeness." He turned towards the dragon king with a simper.

"No worries old man." Zack was the one who spoke. "We should apologize to the lovely lady for seeing his frightening face." He went near her and gave her a slight bow. "Look, he scared her so much she is terrified to even look at him"

This comment earned him sharp glances from Itachi and the demi saiyan who were near him. Zack had no clue why they did so. He shrugged his shoulder as if to ask ' _what'_ towards them. All he did was try to ease up the mood and nothing else.

Acnologia observed the girl again. He had missed it before. Now her rather strange actions made sense to him. He passed off her earlier fumbling, to being intimidated by his presence. But that was not the reason. There was so no light that emanated from her eyes. She was blind. She couldn't see him or his threatening glance even if she wished to.

Zack noticed this rather late. He had no idea on what to say to her. Simply put, he and his loose mouth had caused an unwanted situation. The ex-soldier did not assume such an outcome judging from how she was able to locate them. But it seemed like she just ran towards the direction from where she heard a commotion o hearing about the arrival of aid. That should explain why she bumped into Acno, as he stood in the direction she came from and also there were no people behind his back.

"She was born this way." Arlo Brown broke the awkward silence. He understood Zack did not say such a thing on purpose. The village chief did not want someone who meant no ill will to be left in such a situation. The grey haired faunus gave the ex-soldier yet another smile. "Do not be concerned over it son. She herself is not affected by it."

Zack smacked himself on the head. "Sorry." His face displayed a goofy grin. "Me and my stupid mouth." That was all the former soldier could muster upto, say at the moment.

"Are you the people who are going to save us?" Irina directed towards Zack's direction, her tone exhibited hope and curiosity. She was still clinging onto the sides of the old village chief indicating that she was a bit scared of outsiders and it was not a surprise considering Onyx rarely had any visitors.

"Yes we are. We are going to beat up all the grimm so bad that they are never gonna come near your village again." The ex-soldier responded with his cheerful tone, much to the delight of her and everyone around her.

"Might I know your name, lovely lady?" Zack continued in his usual optimistic tone as he kneeled down near her.

"Irina." The girl's meek voice came through. But unlike before, she was a little bit more confident.

"That is quite a lovely name." The former soldier retorted earning a smile from her. "I am Zack and there is our captain, Itachi and our powerhouse, Gohan with me. The person you bumped into earlier is Acnologia, our chief." Zack now completely regained the confidence he lost earlier. That previous comment felt unnecessary to him. He did not mean any malice. It was just a normal routine for him to mock the dragon king. Anyway, he was now jubilated seeing that no one judged him for an accidental mistake.

Acnologia was irked at this introduction and scoffed. Itachi and Gohan simpered lightly at the way Zack handled the situation, turning the awkward one into a lighter one.

"Mr. Acnologia" Irina bowed her head again. "I am sorry again for bumping into you earlier. Please don't abandon our village because of that."

"There is no need to apologize again and again Irina." Itachi came forward. "It was just an honest mistake. We are not so cheap as to hold grudges for something like that." The Uchiha's reply in a gentle and caring tone brought the smile back to her face again. She replied with a toothy smile to them to show her gratitude.

Most of the villagers had gone back to their homes as Itachi had instructed earlier. And so during this conversation only a handful remained along with the chief and Irina. The ones who remained ardently listened to this light exchange. It might have been the courtesy of this, that the tensed atmosphere earlier seemed to have been lifted to a certain extend. The faces of the denizens at the area felt more at ease. The same could be said for Itachi and Gohan who were filled with so much rage just a few minutes ago.

"And Irina, don't keep calling him mister. Acnologia is only about two or three years older than you are." The village chief instructed his adopted child who nodded in response.

Zack chuckled to himself at this statement. " _Yea, two or three thousand_." He mused in the background.

Gohan and Itachi quickly covered their mouths to hold in the laughter. Acnologia gave him a death glare strong enough to scare the wits out of a normal person. Zack did not care and kept giggling to himself to further irk the other. " _What? It's the truth_." He mouthed back.

"I think it is time the rest of you too head back to your homes." Itachi recommenced shifting the air back into an austere one. "We will take care of it from here."

"I wish you the best of luck gentlemen." Arlo Brown riposted as he walked back towards his home holding the hand of the girl. The few villagers who were around them also followed suit. He could see Itachi meant business when he asked them to go back to their homes. So he did as he was told without posing any further questions. Just the presence of these kids provided him with a lot of strength and hope above everything else. Their encounter with each other did not last even an hour but the village chief of Onyx had complete faith in these four thirteen year olds. After a few minutes all of them were now inside their homes leaving only Itachi, Gohan, Zack and Acnologia as the ones who remained outside.

The dragon king's eye traced the girl as she walked back with the old chief. Her attitude earlier for some reason highly irritated him. Humans ceased to interest him so long ago that he tarried to remember when. The only feeling they evoked in him was disgust. But here he felt irked at her conduct. She was someone who lived all her life bowing down to everyone. Without even an ounce of pride in her, depending on the charity of the others around her for survival. Looking at the frail girl, it was obvious she had never experienced the love of her parents. Under these circumstances, it could be inferred that she was an orphan. The village chief most probably adopted her.

Ridiculous wasn't it? What would the old man gain from tending to a weakling like that?

He did not know why he cared about her background or what she did? Was it because of a sudden influx of forgotten memories? The inability to find a logical answer to this highly vexed him.

"Itachi." Gohan who had been silent throughout the ordeal directed toward his team captain.

"Is this what Ironwood meant by keeping his kingdom safe?" There was so much rage that oozed through the demi saiyan's voice.

"It is obvious, isn't it Gohan?" Itachi turned towards him. "This is just a case of simple racism. But I would not drag the general into this."

He paused momentarily to clear his throat. "Whatever people might say about him, his love towards the kingdom and its people is unmistakable and unbiased. If this had ever come into his notice, he would have surely dispatched a squad to take care of the trouble." Itachi resumed in his usual calm tone. "It seems some racist bastard had a hand in projecting this as a simple problem."

Gohan wasn't at all pleased by this. "So by that you mean, they sent word to Alsius about a minor grimm problem. And that is why they sent us?" The saiyan hybrid responded between deep breaths to calm down his temper. The images of the villager's faces reminded him of the faces of the earthlings back in his world, when they lived in constant fear of the androids.

"G man. Easy there buddy." Zack cut in but to no avail. Gohan was too angry to even heed his words.

"Gohan, I know this is hard but please calm down." The Uchiha laid a hand on his friend's shoulder to abate him. "My conclusion is that the problem here was overlooked as a minor one and well within the capabilities of a junior academy team. That is why Alsius sent us to investigate." Itachi's efforts had a little effect on his friend's temper. "Remember what the headmaster said. It was just a surge in the grimm attacks. He did not mention loss of lives or missing children. And I staunchly believe our headmaster was not aware of the reality of things."

"Caps is right G man." Zack interrupted. "I too think, some military asshole played down the threat to a low level one. Otherwise they wouldn't sent junior academy students to such a scene."

"But." Zack wrapped his arm around the half saiyan's shoulders. "Because of that idiot, these villagers got the help of the four greatest warriors in the world. That is a great thing, isn't it?"

The combined efforts of the Uchiha and the ex-soldier somewhat calmed down Gohan. The demi saiyan sighed to himself in an attempt to ease his temper.

"So Itachi." He directed towards the Uchiha. "What's the plan?"

"I have something to add." Acnologia cut in before Itachi could convey what strategy he wanted to be adopted. This gesture from his side made the others shift all their attention towards him. It rarely happened where the dragon king joined in on the conversation.

"If you had listened to what I have told you about me and the various abilities of mine, you would understand what I am about to say." The dragon slayer folded his arms.

"My sense of smell is far superior to anyone else. And courtesy of this, I was able to pick up the scent of outsiders in this village." Acnologia's lips curved to take the shape of a devilish grin. "To make it more interesting, the scent of the grimm and that of _these outsiders_ felt intermingled together." Acnologia concluded with a haughty expression.

"I understand." Itachi narrowed his brows. He did not need anything further from the dragon slayer to understand what he was referring to. "I have once come across a news, giving details about a gang who use caged grimm to attack small villages."

He diverted his gaze towards each of them. "And under the guise of the ensuing chaos, loot their homes, rape their women and kidnap their children." The Uchiha's face turned into an intimidating one. "This might be the work of the same people."

Then without a warning, Itachi closed his eyes and smiled to himself as if some form of revelation hit him. "Then again." He began on a chilling tone. "It is not surprising, if the tales about these parts hold some truth."

"Bastards." Zack bellowed, the seething anger evident in his tone. "Scum like these should just be killed off."

"Acnologia." Itachi turned towards the dragon king gaining his attention. "Can you pinpoint the location of these people now?"

"It is not that difficult." Acnologia responded haughtily. "They are somewhere in the forest, North West of here."

"I sense the ki of a lot of people in that direction." Gohan began but stopped abruptly as he locked onto something else. "There are kids with them but their Ki feels different." His face suddenly took a shocked expression. "Something is terribly wrong. I just know it"

"Then we have no time to waste here." Itachi's voice displayed the restlessness that had been fostering in him for some time.

"We will spread out." He stated with an authoritative tone. "Gohan and I will head towards the direction of those… scum." Itachi glanced over to the demi saiyan and Gohan nodded in reply.

"Zack you take the east and Acnologia take the west side. Your mission is to eliminate each and every grimm you can find." He now faced the other two. "And if you sense anything amiss in the village, return back immediately. I leave the protection of the village in your hands until we get back."

"Since we came via the southern route, it is safe to assume that there is not much activity there." The Uchiha's voice was strong and clear.

"And Acnologia." He shifted his complete attention to the dragon slayer. "I leave this village unguarded as I have complete faith in your sensory capabilities. If you do sense anything, return back. I entrust you to safeguard these people."

Acnologia's face was taut after hearing the instructions directed towards him showcasing that he was not at all pleased with it. Still, he made no struggle to counter it. Rather, choosing to nod his head to imply he understood.

Itachi was not that pleased with his response. Still, he had no time to waste lecturing him. "Move out now." He ordered to the rest. "We do not have much time to waste. And destroy any enemy you encounter in your path." With that Itachi darted towards the direction that Acno had pointed towards earlier. Gohan followed him after a swift glance to the other two.

"Take care both of you. Give those guys a sound beating for me." Zack shouted out as Gohan and Itachi vanished into the forest.

He then unsheathed Honour and prepared to head towards the eastern direction. "Break a leg Tribal man." The ex-soldier raised a fist in support towards the dragon slayer.

Acnologia gave him no reply or any other sign of acknowledgement as the ex-soldier dashed away. He scoffed at himself for having to follow around orders like that. It took him a brief moment to digest all of this. By that time the others had already moved a bit further. All the villagers had hearkened Itachi's instructions and were now in their homes. This left him as the only living soul, outside in that area. As he stood there alone, he was developing second thoughts on what he had to do. But, he decided to follow the same process he had followed for over a year. The dragon king swallowed his pride and headed towards the western direction.

X-X

Itachi jumped across tree tops as he hastily moved towards his intended targets. Gohan flew beside him, keeping his pace with the Uchiha. Flying was the fastest way to reach their target and Gohan was aware Itachi understood that, but chose not to resort to that method. Since the sharingan user was in such a bustle, it came out as a surprise to him that he chose to take the ground route. The Uchiha could maintain his composure and think clearly no matter the circumstances and so choosing the best alternative to reach their destination at the earliest, would be the most viable choice now. It was unlike Itachi to not come across that alternative.

So Gohan just couldn't wrap his head around it. There was no need of his being concerned about such a needless topic. There were more pressing matters at hand that required his attention. But this _self-assumed needless_ thought kept bugging him to no end. He did not want to believe what he saw when he glanced at the Uchiha's face earlier. _No,_ _it_ _must_ _be_ _just_ _his_ _imagination_ was all he could say to console and assure himself. What he saw in Itachi's face was the same expression of a predator closing in on its prey. Right now he had the face of a killer. And most strikingly there was palpable bloodlust in his demeanour. It was obvious as daylight. Itachi was fully intent on showing no mercy to any of the transgressors.

X-X

The Beowulf brought down its claw against the former Shinra Soldier first class. The ex-soldier with little effort blocked it with the flat side of his precious sword. The grimm tried to press down on him but its strength did not compare to that of Zack. The current Alsius student used that advantage in strength to shove away the grimm, and sent it crashing into two of its _still alive_ comrades behind it.

Before the three beowolves could regain their footing, Zack leaped onto them using a nearby tree as a footing. With the initial leap he cut off the head of the nearest Beowulf and then used the decapitated, body of the grimm as leverage to jump onto the other two. With swift cuts, they too had their heads decollated from its place.

" _This is strange."  
"It's been some time and all I see here are lower class grimm." _

As Zack pondered upon these thoughts, a boarbatusk charged at him from the side. It failed to catch the ex-soldier off guard as he effortlessly sidestepped its attempt to impale him. He moved to the side and waited for the grimm to come around again. When it did, he ran his sword through its thick skull effectively killing it.

"Caps was right." Zack reflected to himself as he removed his sword which was impaled in the boarbatusk's skull. "It must be those assholes that brought the grimm to attack the village. There aren't any large number of grimm in this forest."

"You are pretty good kid." A rough voice that came from behind him caught his attention.

Zack regained his stance and quickly turned to the source. "Who the hell are you geezer?"

"Me?" A large, well-built, bistre haired man questioned. "I am just a stranger passing by." He answered with a sarcastic and regal tone.

"Somehow I find it really hard to believe." The ex-soldier shot back with sarcasm laced in his tone as well.

Zack quickly analysed the stranger who appeared in front of him. He wore a high collared, sleeveless brown shirt which was unbuttoned and jet black combat pants. Without a doubt, he could say this guy was a professional. He was maybe in his early twenties, probably at the age of a fresh academy graduate. That would give him a lot of experience as a fighter. Though it might not be advantageous against Zack who had more experience combating against tougher opponents. His weapon seemed to be a large axe with no additional features, and seeing how big he was at about six and a half feet tall, it was obvious he was a front line fighter who mainly relied on his brute strength. Still, his presence wasn't enough to intimidate the former soldier. The only concern that Zack had was his semblance. If it was something tricky, this battle could be difficult. And to add to that concern, he had no idea on what his own semblance was.

The stranger kept laughing as to mock the ex-soldier. "You are pretty brave kid. I don't see even a tiny bit of fear in you."

"By the way." The stranger readjusted his collar. "The name's Dom."

"Like I would fear a senile old man." Zack shot back and then yawned as if to show it was boring.

If he had to guess, this Dom guy was one of the bandits targeting the villagers. There was no need to show any mercy. But contrary to many other's opinions Zack knew how to behave on the battlefield. The only edge this stranger had over him was the semblance and unless he figured out what it was, he had to pretend to be aloof. The fury that was burning inside him had to be kept in chains for the time being. If he let his emotions take over, he might play right into their hands. Above all, he did not want to be a burden to his comrades. If he were to fail right now, it would only add to their woes at the moment. Currently, according to his deductions, the grimm were not a big threat at the moment. They could be dealt with as he pleased later. The real threat were these bandits and so he had to prioritize taking them down first before he turned his attention towards the beasts.

"Looks like I have to beat some sense into you, you thief." Dom glared at him with a hostile face. He was not at all pleased with the other's response. "I will show you how to respect your seniors, you rotten scoundrel."

"Says the original scum." Zack readied his stance when he saw the other had also done the same.

Dom seemed like someone who got easily annoyed. This was apparrent when his face turned completely read with rage when Zack hurled out insults at him. His large axe was bigger than Honour, wielded by the former soldier. He swinged that large weapon with relative ease as an attempt to instil panic into Zack that failed to fulfil its objective.

A complete silence prevailed as the two warriors locked eyes with each other. The tension created now was enough to even make the leaves halt their rustling. Dom took the initiative and charged at the ex-soldier who himself did not wait for further confirmation. Now bringing out the anger he felt inside, Zack charged towards battle.

X-X

For Acnologia, a group of lower class grimm were not even worth thinking about. Goliaths, Beringels, Alpha Beowolves at the most felt like rag dolls to him. There wasn't any fight with grimm or any group of grimms that ever faced him, that lasted a single minute. Simply put, he was strong. Too strong for this world. Not a single threat existed which could make him struggle.

 _It made no sense at all. This second chance at life as Zack would put it. Did someone expect him to atone for his sins? 'Ridiculous', that was all he could make of it. But for the moment, he did not need to invest his time into this matter that much. It will reveal itself someday. There were more pressing matters he had to think about. And above all he had no time to waste over the woes of these pathetic humans. But if he reflected upon it more, what exactly was it that he wanted to do and to be more precise, what were these pressing matters he always had to worry about. Every little thing, he regarded as a wastage of time. But the reality he failed to accept was that he no longer had a purpose. No fire that kept him going. If he could just sit down and think about himself, there was nothing that came to him. Maybe this was why he never invested his time to think about things, rather preferring to keep it aside for another day._

 _He dedicated his entire life to slay the dragons. Countless Dragons beyond comprehension, had fallen before his might. To destroy those beasts, he became vengeance itself. This gave him the strength to fight the scaled monsters all by himself. Even when, he found himself in hopeless situations, this vengeance and hate acted as the sole drive that saw him through everything. Very few could contemplate the sheer will of his, to go up against all the dragons on his own. But after every last dragon was destroyed, he lost his purpose. He became an existence without meaning. Patiently, he watched eras rise and fall, awaiting the emergence of another dragon or dragon slayer. Even now, it made no sense. The only thing he had ever lived for was to destroy all the dragons. But now, what objective did he serve? For what did he continue to exist? The one thing he despised and loathed ceased to subsist. The impetus, for his hate was no more. Still why did he continue to revile and hate everything? In truth, was he someone who had to be pitied upon? Just a lonely existence that walked a path of nothingness._

" _The real dragons are strong, noble and gentle." These words from the pink haired dragon slayer had always rung in his ears far more times than he would have liked. They did nothing but add fuel to his wrath. What did he know about dragons? The dragons he knew were cruel and ruthless. Humans were nothing but food to them. They took away everything that he cherished. Each and every day was a fight for survival. All they could do was run. The one, who took his life did not possess even the slightest erudition about how they were tormented by the scaled beasts. In truth, only the dragons, the pink haired dragon slayer had seen were kind and gentle. He never had the ill fate to live in the same era as Acnologia. Never experienced the agony he had to face all his life. And no one could fathom, even an iota of the magnitude, of the intense hatred he harboured towards the winged beasts_.

Acnologia's countenance remained cryptic. It was abstruse to cognize what was in his heart. But somewhere hidden amongst the nooks and corners, it exuded pain. Still, it was impossible to surmise if the provenance of that pain was anger or sadness.

The Dragon King with his superior physical attributes, ripped apart two ursa minors that came into his view. His powerful sense of smell allowed him to sense that there were no more grimm present in his immediate vicinity. Acnologia smirked loftily to himself in satisfaction. Carcasses of countless prowlers of the night surrounded him. The intense hatred and negativity that emanated from him attracted these creatures to him as moths were attracted to a source of light. Maybe, the entire mindless grimm in these forests would be aiming for him.

" _Let them come as they pleased."_ The dragon slayer cogitated. The fates they were about to meet would notchange. Nothing was going to survive an encounter with him.

Further ahead, Acnologia was able to locate sense the presence of a large horde of grimm.

" _Another bunch is about to bite the dust_." He sneered to himself.

X-X

Zack's fight was eating up more time than he wished. The ex-soldier was still treading on cautious grounds. This semblance of his opponent could pose a major hurdle if he did not take care. Currently, he possessed the advantage in this battle. Dom was a fighter that relied on his brute strength, coupled with amazing agility for his size. But Zack's strength and speed far exceeded his opponent. This difference in ability was evident in their present condition. Zack was barely sweating while the other had bruises and cuts, here and there on his figure.

"I gotta give it you punk." Dom spoke between short breaths. "You are pretty strong."

"I don't need compliments of thieves." Zack regained his stance. "Not only am I far stronger than you, but also, there is the fact you are super weak." He shot out in a mocking tone much to the annoyance of the latter.

. "You are a funny one spikey." Dom could not help but laugh at the reply. "But I respect your strength, though you are just a common bandit."

That last comment extremely annoyed Zack. This murderer was standing there and calling him a bandit. Even if it was an attempt to irk him, he did not care. He was going to pummel him into a pulp.

"I will give you a little tip, spikey." Dom began as Zack was about to pounce on him. "My semblance allows me to sense aura. Due to this I can perceive when someone activates their semblance while also gauging their aura capacity."

That statement took Zack by surprise. " _What an idiot?_ " He gleed to himself after contemplating the situation. The former soldier could not fathom for the life of him why this guy revealed to him, the one advantage he held over him. This thief can sense his aura all he wants. His reserves were far greater than anyone else he had seen. As for his semblance, it was still a mystery. His opponent perceiving it or not meant nothing at all.

"I have to admit, your aura capacity is among the highest I have ever seen. Maybe even above them all." Dom continued in a regal tone. "However that means nothing at all." He still went on. "You do understand why I told you this, don't you spikey?"

" _No_." Zack mouthed to himself. " _The only thing I could see in that is you are a big dummy_."

"I will tell you that too, since you don't seem to be bright." Dom tilted his head and flexed his muscles that had begun to ache a little. "Even if you try to catch me off guard, it won't work. I can determine your presence from anywhere. And also I can be on guard when you activate your semblance." He stated in a tone laced with contempt and cockiness, earning a sigh that _said_ _looser_ from the ex-soldier.

"You have been pretty quiet for a while spikey." The ranting continued. "I bet you are shaking in your boots right now."

" _What did I do to deserve this?_ " Zack wanted to bang his head against a tree. " _I better end this quick_."

"Now I have told you what my semblance is and it's your turn to tell me what yours is?" Dom climbed on top of a boulder and pointed his axe at the former soldier.

" _That is the million lien question I have been asking myself. What the hell is my semblance?"_ Zack wanted to finish this guy off there and now but decided to play along. "My semblance allows be to boost my strength and speed." He crossed his fingers behind him, unnoticed by the other.

"Oh…that is quiet a strong semblance to have." Dom put a finger on his chin. "If I had to rate it, I'd give…"

He received no time to finish as Zack charged at him with his sword. Dom barely blocked it with his axe. Zack used the momentum from the initial thrust to leap a bit higher and came down with real force onto his opponent.  
Dom felt the full brunt of that strike. He felt as if the entire bones in his body was rattled. The reason for this acute rise in intensity was that Zack did not have to maintain discretion anymore now. The chain that made him gait with caution was now broken off by his opponent itself. So he was going to go all out.

The other mistook it as panic. He totally misjudged the truth of the matter, confusing it to his threat, _as he put it_ , completely ruining the ex-soldier's psyche.

Zack continued his relentless assault. He moved so fast that the other could barely move. The former soldier showed no sign of stopping at all. The barrages of strikes sent sparks flying everywhere. All Dom could do was use the size advantage of his weapon to shield himself. Simply put, all he could do was hide behind his weapon unable to move an inch, on the receiving end of Zack's powerful slashes.

After a short while, Zack retreated a bit backwards to analyse the situation a bit. Dom was on the verge. One more powerful strike and it would be game over. But something else was bugging him at the moment. Out of curiosity, he activated his semblance a while before to see if it would reveal itself in this situation. All it did was give him a slight queasy feeling. This sensation would last for a few minutes and then vanish. Every time he tried to activate it, this phenomenon would repeat itself. At first thought he misconstrued that the bandit was lying about his semblance and the real nature was different which caused this uneasiness. However now he could conclude that was not the case. It was as if something in him wanted to come out. Like a new power or something inside him desperately struggled to break free of the binds that kept it caged.

" _This unrest I feel right now_." It kept pricking Zack's mind to no end. " _Maybe I will try to release it_."

Dom had broken fingers on each hand as a result of the brutal assault. He moved a bit back to create some breathing space between the two of them. It would take a little while for his aura to heal him. Even then, his aura level would be depleted in moments, if another round ensued. So, the best possible action for him to undertake was to wait for his aura to charge up.

Zack saw how his opponent was trying to desperately earn a breather. He felt it was the right moment to test out what he experienced earlier, when his opponent was trying to regain his stamina. Taking a deep breath, he released that strange surge of energy he felt inside.

" _Strange. I feel nothing has changed_." He bit his lip and scratched his head in frustration.

" _Wait_ " Suddenly something struck him making him move back a few inches. " _Why am I able to sense that idiot's aura?"_

His eyes widened in appellation. " _And how can I tell so accurately, his aura level is really low at the moment_."

In an instant Zack's lips curved into a wide joyful glee when he recollected a few details from earlier. " _Don't tell me! This is my semblance!"_

" _Awesome, awesome, awesome_." He wanted to jump up and down in ecstasy. " _I can copy the semblance of others. How friggin cool is that_."

Unknowingly, Zack began laughing like a maniac and doing spins much to the bewilderment of his opponent. But Dom was too expended to react and so remained static with a puzzled expression. It was strange to him but he felt no killing from his opponent. He was expecting Zack to take advantage of this moment of weakness and kill him. It was as if the kid in front of him had no intention to cause him harm. Still that did nothing to calm his nerves.

After a short while, the ex-soldier came back to his senses. This sudden revelation had made him forget everything else for a while. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and took in a few deep breaths. " _Guess I'll play around for a while_."

Dom hurriedly got upon his feet and readied his stance as the former soldier came charging in with his sword in hand.

Different thoughts ran through Zack's mind at the moment he launched his second wave of attack. The dominant one was about his semblance. He had to test out this newfound power and research its limits. From Itachi's earlier explanation. These bandits worked in large groups. That meant this guy was just scouting the area or waiting for his friends to show up before launching an attack.

There was also another thing that kept rattling the ex-soldier. Considering how defenceless the villagers were, it came out as a surprise to him that this bandit group would attack in waves on different days. One good attack was enough to finish off the helpless denizens of Onyx. No matter how he thought, it brought him to only one conclusion. The group of bandits were also weak. Just a bunch of common thieves lead by a powerful leader. This powerful leader, would explain, how they were able to capture and cage the grimm.

And if he gauged the strength of the foe in front of him, he would put him in the range of mid-level pro hunters. This was what kept bugging him. Someone of this guy's strength would either be the leader or one among the top guns of the gang. For being a part of such a group of monsters, this Dom emitted no bloodlust at all. There was a bit of malevolence early on but that could pass off as his sudden spike in anger. It felt as if the stranger in front of him was fighting to protect something.

Zack had no time to ponder over these speculations. He had strayed from his objective a bit too much. There was no more time to waste on this. He had to figure out how his semblance worked out quickly and then end this battle. Maybe after that he could figure out every little doubt that he had.

Honour clashed against Dom's axe with large force. It made a dent in the latter weapon and knocked it off its wielder's hands. Zack gave him no breathing space and followed it up with a powerful kick to the gut. Dom coughed up blood as he held his midsection in extreme pain.

Zack moved to the side and tossed his opponent's weapon back to him. "Pick up your weapon and get ready." He stated in an authoritative tone. "I will always abide by my code of honour whether it is friend or foe."

The bandit smirked at the comment. He got upto his feet with great effort and wiped the blood off his face. The former soldier tightened his muscle fibres and tried to unleash his semblance once again.

" _What the hell_." The inability to release it completely caught him off guard. " _Don't tell me it only lasts for a short while or something_?" The ex-soldier hissed under his breath. That bliss he experienced earlier was replaced with bafflement at his inefficacy.

"Hey kid." Dom who had regained a bit of his stamina shouted out to him when he saw the ex-soldier was fumbling. "Don't tell me you are starting to chicken out now."

Zack did not know what to say right now. The exultation he felt on finding out what his semblance was, now began turning into frustration upon learning he was back to level one. This highly irritated him. The ex-soldier grit his teeth in annoyance as the grip on his sword tightened. 

" _I might as well give it a try_." He took a deep breath to calm himself when a sudden idea struck him.

Keeping his semblance activated, he switched onto battle mode once again. His first slash was parried by his opponent who came back with regained vigour. Zack did not put much effort into that attack as he wanted to test out his semblance once again. This time too he felt that same sensation he felt the first time. He quickly followed up with another powerful strike that sent the other flying backwards. Then, putting a little distance between him and his opponent, Zack once again activated it.

" _Bulls eye."_ His mind echoed. " _Just as I thought. I need the other to keep his semblance activated when I try to copy him and also there seems to be a minimum distance that needs to be maintained_."

He slowly closed his eyes to collect his thoughts. _"It seems, there are a lot of hurdles I have to overcome before I can fully master this new power."_

The ex-soldier opened his eyes with added tenacity and reassumed his stance. " _It might eat up a bit of my time but I need to figure out how to permanently keep this power with me_."

X-X

Itachi and Gohan finally reached the location where the bandits had set up camp. It was a small clearing in the forest quite a distance away from the village. The area itself gave them an eerie and negative vibe. The bandit camp was a large warehouse like settlement. Considering the size of the structure, Itachi guessed they had been here for quite some time. Since the attacks on the village only began a few days ago, it was plausible they were spending the early days trapping grimm to be used to attack the village. There were a few cages visible nearby that kept the grimm caged inside, proving that point.

Few among the group were guarding the place. Gohan could sense the ki of several others inside. He was able to pinpoint their number at twenty. Added with the twelve others posted for guard duty, their total strength amounted to thirty two. It was a pretty large number but other than the strength in numbers, all of them were weak, except for a single individual, he could say with certainty was the leader. The leader's strength could be compared to their best professors at Alsius. Other than that the rest were way worse than some of their classmates. But what troubled the demi saiyan the most was the energy of the children he could sense inside. From his analysis, it seemed all of the kids were unconscious since the ki radiating from them verified his crux. However above all, many of them had their auras unlocked. Gohan did not know why or how that was possible. From all he had heard kids rarely had their auras unlocked at such a young age and those who had it unlocked were viewed with a different eye. It was certainly not possible for the villagers to have unlocked the auras of their children. That made only one possibility to be true. These filth had unlocked them. And that brought him to only one sure feasibility, biological weapons. He had heard about such things when they travelled around Remnant during the early years but never came across one. In such cases, kidnapped kids were brainwashed into becoming pawns for the rich and affluent. These pawns would work like slaves until they perished. It was a crime that could get one the death penalty. However, only a handful of these cases ever saw the light of day.

Now, the half saiyan was at a fix on what to do. The anger he felt was kept aside because of another reason, the nauseating bloodlust he sensed from Itachi. Still, he felt the Uchiha needed to know what he had sensed.

"Itachi" Gohan turned to his friend with a sour visage, who along with him was hiding on top of a tree among the leaves.

"I sense that the kids are inside there." He continued in a bleak tone when he had got Itachi's attention. "Many of them have their auras unlocked and…" The demi saiyan paused for a moment to ponder whether he should continue.

"Biological weapons" Itachi finished the sentence for him. "I had suspected such a possibility earlier."

"I think we should proceed with caution Itachi." Gohan's facial expression turned wary. He redirected his concentration towards the group. "Our topmost priority must be the safety of those kids."

The demi saiyan kept looking at the Uchiha's whose usual expressionless face began to display intense rage. He was awaiting some sort of reply but Itachi still kept his gaze fixed at the encampment. Gohan did not know what to say at the moment. They had no time to waste at all.

"Gohan." Itachi finally began putting an end to the long period of silence. "Do you remember what happened two weeks before we joined Alsius?" He tried his best to mask his emotions behind a peering mien.

"How can I ever forget?" Gohan nodded in the affirmative. That day was etched in his memory. He could never expunge them from his mind even if he tried.

 _A group of travelling performers had requested their aid when the happened to chance upon them during their travels. The owner of a large plantation had forcefully taken away one of their performers who was little girl, nine years of age. They had agreed to help them and infiltrated the mansion on the dead of night. Itachi and Gohan sneaked into the place while Zack and Acno waited outside as backup. The site that the two of them saw inside was horrendous. Little kids of both genders brutally tortured to satisfy the sick fetishes of the lord of the mansion. Luckily they were able to save the girl for whom they had come in the first place but the other children were all dead. There was nothing they could do to bring them back. The owner who lived with a few of his helpers in the mansion kidnapped kids or brought them from the black market to quench this satanic desire of his. Still, there was another memory that he wished to erase. The memory of Itachi's expression that night. He had the expression of a killer out for blood. Gohan knew Itachi's past and all the hard choices he had to make. What he was also aware of was that his friend had another side to him. A side other than the kind, caring, peace loving friend who cherished his comrades. A ruthless and merciless side that he rarely exhibited unless the life of those he revered was threatened or when there was serious transgression_.

Gohan did not know whether he should label it as a stroke of luck that extricated him from having to see that brutal side of the Uchiha. Someone had insinuated the mansion before them and slaughtered its inhabitants beforehand. The kids were kept locked inside a hidden chamber underground, and it seemed the group that executed the miscreants were unable to find them. The demi saiyan was relieved in a way inwardly, as he was spared from witnessing the sight of his fiend turn into a killer. However, that fear he held for so long might actually come to be true.

"But" Gohan quickly cut in. "Why bring that up now?" He did not want to know the answer to that question if it was what, he was thinking about.

"Nothing." Itachi's face did not change one bit. "I just wanted to remind you of what happened that night."

"So how do we proceed Itachi?" Gohan faked caution trying to shift the topic.

"We charge head on. Dispatch off these guards quickly and then confront the ones inside." The Uchiha's tone seemed similar to that of Acnologia when he said that. It displayed decadence and arrogance. Along with profound animosity, the Uchiha was also indirectly mentioning that his foes stood no chance against him. In a way, he communicated that they could try all they want but could never even scratch him. Therefore maintaining caution and strategy was unneeded. This was completely unlike the normal Itachi who planned ahead on everything, be it a simple one or a complex one.

"We move in now Gohan.' Itachi did not wait for any reply from Gohan as he rushed into the clearing with his unsheathed weapon in his hands.

Gohan immediately followed suit. The guards were taken by surprise as the sudden appearance of two strangers. The demi saiyan knocked the senses of the first one that he encountered. Three others in his immediate vicinity barely had time to react or to raise an alarm as he knocked them out cold without a moment's hesitation. Then he turned to his left to engage another.

But, what he saw made him stop in his tracks. He witnessed Itachi slaughtering the bandits mercilessly. There was no remorse or reluctance in his actions. All of his first strikes was at the throat to prevent them from making any sort of noise. With the second strike, he slit their major arteries to make them bleed to their deaths. It was all done in the matter of seconds. The foes before Itachi barely had time to rally their thoughts or envisage what the situation was. The Uchiha was cutting them down like he would cut down the grimm. This was the cold and ruthless side of the Sharingan user the demi saiyan never wished to be a bystander of.

What lasted just a few moments felt like hours to the half saiyan who did not want to believe what he had just seen? After he had finished, Itachi went upto the ones Gohan had knocked out and ran his blade through their hearts. His eyes remained unchanged. They remained cold and emotionless through the entire ordeal.

Gohan just couldn't fathom what had happened around him. He feared such an outcome would unravel, still that did not ease his sudden shock. He himself had so much rage pent up inside against these scum, who exploited the villagers and committed such violent atrocities against the children. However he wasn't a killer and no matter what happened he could never bring himself to kill a living thing. His heart would not permit him to do so. Even during a fit of rage he would hold back from having to take a life. When he fought the heartless androids, he fought with the intention to kill. But they were androids and not humans. Human lives were precious. Gohan had never taken one and could never bring himself to take one.

The Uchiha, leader of IZAG retrieved his blade from the body of the last bandit whose heart he pierced. Without even glancing over to his friend he proceeded to break open the door of the warehouse that housed the kidnapped children. The saiyan hybrid, somehow calmed himself and followed Itachi inside. There was no more the cool and collected Itachi now. This Itachi before him felt like a different person altogether. This was his dark side.

The Uchiha kicked open the door which created a lot of noise inviting the attention of the ones present inside. The bandits did not have the time to digest what had just occurred before they felt their lives escaping their bodies as Itachi's blades cut through them. Itachi overpowered them with sheer strength and speed. Barely moments after, only had the leader remaining standing.

The leader of the bandits was a well-built man in his early forties with jet black hair. The most striking feature of his was his cold dead eyes that reeked of evil. Those yes reminded Gohan of the androids. Unlike the rest, he was pretty strong at the level of an experienced hunter. The merciless murdering of his followers did not evoke even the slightest pity in that heartless monster. And he had enough experience to judge that in such situations, even a moment's hesitation meant death. He drew out his hammer and went in for the Uchiha's head.

Itachi had no difficulty in overpowering him. The Uchiha's first slash dismembered the wrist on which his nemesis held his weapon. He followed it up with a powerful kick to his midsection and in the next second pinned him to the ground. Then in a flash slit his Achilles tendon rendering him completely immobile. All this happened at such a pace that to the eye of a normal individual, only shadows were visible.

"Tell me everything you know and I will reward you with a painless death." His voice was frighteningly calm and bleak, so much as to send shivers down the spine of anyone present.

The bandit leader who was rendered incapable was cruel and heartless as they came. He remained unshaken by the threat and spit at Itachi on the face. "Your threats do not mean anything to me brat." He seethed at him biting down the pain that coursed through his entire body. "You are no better than us. Cold blooded and ruthless."

"I see." Itachi retorted as he closed his eyes, the attempts to abet him not fruitful in the slightest. He opened it after a while revealing the mangekyo sharingan. "I will just have to force it out of you."

Gohan remained frozen at the spot. Itachi in front of him behaved like a true shinobi would against his foes. He had heard Itachi mention many times about how they used to work but never had he been so _unlucky_ as to be its witness. The children were kept in a cage like structure. These people treated little kids no better than animals. Maybe they deserved the punishment of death. No, still he could never bring himself to do the deed.

The interrogation took only a brief while. The Uchiha tossed the leader of the group, who remained shaking in fear, onto the side, treating him no better than common thrash.

"Gohan" Itachi directed his gaze towards the half saiyan, his eyes still retaining the coldness. 'I want you to take these children and wait outside."

"It will be better if you awaken them only once you leave this room." He added unfazed by the pallid, wild eyed Gohan.

"Wait Itachi." Gohan hesitated for a while before speaking up. "Please stop. It is not like you."

"Stop?" Itachi's emotionless voice rose above the noise. "Gohan, I do not want you to witness anymore killing. So I request you to leave now."

"Killing is wrong Itachi. Everyone deserves a chance to live. Be it anyone, they deserve a chance to atone for their sins." The demi saiyan's voice was now much louder. He couldn't bear to take this anymore.

Itachi gently closed his eyes for a moment. "Do you want to say that someone like him deserves mercy?" The sharingan user's eyes revealed the pent up fury in his heart.

"Yes, he does. Not just him, everyone does." The saiyan hybrid was becoming more confident as he had begun to reel back from the initial jolt, the colour now returning to his face.

"Gohan you are my dear friend and I would do anything for you." Itachi's voice became much calmer. "I made a promise to myself that I would never use my visual techniques against any of you no matter what the circumstances. That is how much the three of you mean to me."

Suddenly Itachi's expression took a complete 180. "But if you insist on such blind ideals, I can show you everything this scum had done all his life." He barked at him with his sharingan blaring.

The demi saiyan was at a loss of words on what to say. There was never a single instance, Itachi exhibited anger against him or raised his voice against him.

"Listen to me" The tone of the Uchiha's voice remained unchanged. "There are people who deserve mercy like you implied. People who never had a choice in their life or those who were never taught any better. Only they deserve mercy after such deeds."

By this time, Itachi had moved up near to the bandit leader. "Those who do not deserve it are filth like him who sell off helpless kids into the flesh market and as mindless weapons." He roared sending his foot crashing onto the transgressor's knee, effectively crushing it and making the receiver cry out in pain.

"This scum hear does not deserve mercy." He clenched in jaw. "He was well aware of what he was doing. There was not a tinge of remorse or empathy in him. If I spare him now, he will only repeat what he had done and might one day come for revenge."

Son Gohan was not convinced. There were many who had been enemies but turned into allies. They were deemed as heartless villains and had the blood of many on their hands. Still, an act of kindness changed them. His beloved mentor Piccolo and Vegeta were among them. Piccolo changed so much after his influence. He even gave up his life to protect him. His own father had taught him to never fight to kill. An enemy, even the fiercest of them deserved forgiveness. He had lived by this principle his whole life. There was no way he could go against it. Taking a life was not something he could bring himself to do.

Itachi Uchiha understood the multitudes of thoughts that ran through his friend's mind. However, he needed to harden his heart this time.

"Think about your past Gohan." Itachi took a deep breath to calm himself down and shot a piercing glance to the demi saiyan's eyes. "You had mentioned to me countless times about how the androids were created by Dr. Gero, who your father had spared a long time ago." He clenched his fist before continuing, very well aware of the effects it might have on the other. "If at that moment, your father had hardened his heart and ended his life there itself… think about the changes it would have made."

"You could have lived in peace away from the agony you endured all your life. You could have chased after your dreams and not lay down your life shouldering the hopes of millions." He had countless other things to say but immediately held back from pressing further. Gohan was already highly traumatized. This encounter was a necessary evil. His friend had to learn to embrace the harsher reality.

The sharingan user heaved a deep sigh to pacify himself. "What I meant to say was that it is necessary to distinguish between enemies. Sometimes, you have to kill your foes or they end up harming you and everyone you treasure."

"I…" The saiyan hybrid tried to mutter out something but anything that came out was barely audible to even himself.

"I do not want you to see this any longer. So I ask you to take the children and leave." Itachi paused to turn his gaze toward the bandit leader. "A painful and agonizing death is what he deserves."

Itachi's words hit him really hard. The son of Goku was on the verge of breaking down. He couldn't think clearly. His mind seemed hazy and clouded. His body began to move on its own. He walked upto the cage that held the kidnapped children who still remained unconscious. Lifting the structure up, he moved outside leaving the Uchiha and the bandit leader as the only alive ones inside the warehouse.

Itachi's eyes traced Gohan's movements as he left. Then he turned to his target with the mangekyo sharingan activated. The bandit leader quickly felt the world around him changing like the first time he had experienced it, but this time it felt more painful. Unknowing to Gohan, Itachi had injured the vocal chords of his foe to render him incapable to even scream to relieve the pain he was about to experience.

In moments, he found himself tied to a wooden cross. Countless iron stakes slowly impaled his body as if to make him experience maximum pain.

"This is my world." Itachi appeared before him in a murder of crows. "I control everything in this world. Even time, space and mass."

"For the next 72 hours, I will continue to impale you with these iron rods. I will make sure you experience all the pain and sufferings you have inflicted upon helpless and innocent children."

The ebony haired leader of the bandits screamed out in agony, but not a nuance of sound was heard.

X-X

" _Now I get it."_ Zack spoke in a hushed tone. " _So finally I was able to solve this mystery about my semblance."_

What are you mumbling about spikey?" Dom gasped for breath. But that did not hinder the arrogant drift of his tone.

"Sorry I didn't mean for you to hear that." The ex-soldier returned with a glee. "But rest assure, I will end it right now."

"End what." The other roared back. "Don't get all cocky just because you managed to scratch me, you little swine."

The former soldier was at a loss of words. He had seen people like this guy a lot. Who had the rare ability to put up a brave face in almost any situations? However Dom right in front of him, had to take the top cake. He was bleeding from almost everywhere and had a lot of broken bones in a lot of places, God only knew where. Any little kid with a speck of intelligence could figure out that he was in a hell lot of pain at the moment. Still, he kept running his mouth like he was as fresh as new.

Zack had to admit, he had a newfound respect for the older opponent. Add to that, there was no more of that killing intent prevalent. In the beginning, he wanted to end the bandit for all that he had done. But after this battle against his foe, he wanted to believe this guy was actually not that bad. He wanted to beat him and just that and nothing more. Maybe, Dom was tricked into this business. Who knew?

" _Guess I'll tie him up and take him to caps for further questioning_." Zack deliberated upon his musings. It seemed the only plausible solution to decipher this situation he found himself in.

The ex-soldier did not hesitate for another moment as he charged towards his foe and delivered a sharp kick to the jaw. Dom was completely unprepared and got no space to react. The intensity of the kick was strong enough to send the receiver pummelling to the ground. Zack tossed aside Dom's weapon and pointed the end of Honour towards the other.

"Any last words old man." He remarked with a sanguine expression.

Dom looked up at the ex-soldier for a while an also around himself. Slowly, his lips curved into a devilish grin. That gesture sent shivers down Zack's spine. In the present scenario, the other had no chance of a comeback. Still he exuded a strange confidence. This was the vindication for the former soldier's eerier feeling.

"On second thought." Zack consoled himself. "I think I hit you so hard that you lost any sense you had."

" _Better tie this guy up now_." He prepared to find anything he could use around his vicinity. But in a spur of a moment, he started to feel his head swim. Everything around him started to speed up, it seemed. Zack quickly took his stance and tried to look around him. Everything he laid eyes upon began to move at faster speeds. Even the rustling of the leaves were faster. Voices became blurred.

Dom who was on the ground slowly tried to get back upon his feet. Zack tried to stop him but again he felt the differences in speed of movement. He tried opening and closing his eyes to calm down but there was no change in the outcome.

" _What the hell_." He had no clue what was happening. All he could do was clench his jaw in frustration. " _Is this some new trick_."

"Wait" Suddenly it came to him. "I'll just activate the new semblance."

Zack quickly switched on his newly acquired power. With it he was able to sense the auras of anyone near him upto certain distance.

"Bingo" he turned towards the source of a second aura he sensed. "I see, its backup."

Thee ex-soldier moved cautiously towards the location with his guard on high. Before he could reach there, the culprit of this strange phenomenon sprung up from hiding. The new enemy swung his weapon which was, a large flail at him.

This new enemy had light blonde hair and a sharp facial features. His height was about a few inches taller than Dom. There was as slit over his right eye brow and a deep scar than ran through the right side of his face. He wore a military tank top with matching rugged pants.

Zack lifted Honour to parry the attack, only merely managing to do so. The opponent's attack lacked power, but it had speed. Speed as in too much speed. Zack could block it only because he was using the maximum speed at his disposal.

The new enemy riposted with another strike. The ex-soldier tried to dodge it but was unable to do so. The blow struck him on his right shoulder. Another quick attack followed that pushed him back a few metres.

The best choice, the former soldier had now was to retreat a little and put some distance between him and the new enemy. Without waiting for his opponent to attack, he tried to slice him with his blade at the midsection. This attack was easily blocked by the latter. He then, used his weapon to lift Zack's weapon higher up and delivered a kick to the ex-soldier's left leg. It was followed by a roundhouse kick to the jaw. That impact sent him crashing to the side. Zack's aura had just begun to heal his right shoulder and so it still stung. Without a moment's delay he quickly got upon his feet and reassumed his stance. This opponent was totally different. His strength was only equal to Dom's but the threat was his superior speed. This speed could rival Zack's.

Before Zack could gauge the situation properly, he started to experience that strange sick sensation again. The opponent began another assault. It completely caught him off guard. The spiked end of the flail rammed into his abdomen making him cough out blood. The next followed soon after, barely giving him the time to dodge. Still, it did not cease. Another heavy blow succeeded and he could do only enough to prevent it from crushing his skull.

The tables had turned now. Zack was on the receiving end. Only one conclusion occupied his mind. He had been careless and took his opponent for granted. It was like Itachi had told him once, a fight involving semblances can be tricky. Especially to him who had no idea about his own semblance. Most prominently, it was this strange feeling of sickness that limited him and made him wanting to throw up. One thing he could be sure of was that it was the work of the other's semblance. This made his head spin, his sense weak and above all boosted the speed of his opponent. Somehow, his own aura could not match up with the other's speed. His own attacks were blocked with ease as if the other could predict his movements. The only power he was aware of that could predict and copy movements like this was the Sharingan. But that was not the case here. If Itachi's stories held the truth, he would have died already if his opponent possessed the Sharingan.

Zack hoisted up honour and went in for another strike. This too was blocked with ease. The ex-soldier put in more force overpowering the other and caused him to lose ground. This bigger pressure resulted in a slight crack that began to develop on his foe's flail. This made the new enemy, drop his guard a little, which Zack used to full advantage. Gripping his sword tightly with both hands, he began a frenzy of powerful strikes. But to his frustration, the other successfully blocked every one of those. This sudden outburst of strength and speed came with a downside that is it made Zack susceptible for a counter attack and that was what transpired. Before he could put up his guard, he felt the full brunt of the flail slammed at his right side and before he could counter, a powerful jab followed.

The former soldier had only one option now. That was to create a bit of space between him and his nemesis and then formulate a proper strategy. If this continued, he was surely going to die. Keeping that in mind, he charged again at the enemy, leaped a bit into the air and brought down a heavy strike. As he had expected, this attack was also blocked. At that moment, he used the other's weapon as support and along with the force generated due to the clash, leaped a few distance backwards. Still he did not stop after the initial retreat. He followed it up with short leaps backwards increasing the distance between them. After an ample distance was created, he began to assemble his thoughts.

This made one thing clear, there was a limited distance for the effect of his opponent's semblance. If he stood outside this range, that feeling of sickness was gone and his sense were back to normal. But the other problem was the boost in speed and even more of a headache was that his enemy could somehow predict his movements. He had no idea how a single semblance could produce all these effects. Zack was a close range fighter who heavily relied on his weapon for combat and for such a close range fighter like him maintaining a distance was not plausible. There was practically no long rage techniques at his disposal. Even that would not be enough. His opponent's speed was deadly allowing him to block even his fastest attacks.

As the former soldier first class, tried to formulate a strategy, his new opponent went up to where Dom was resting. He extended his hand to him and helped him off the ground, onto his feet. The ex-soldier noticed it only now. The both of them bore some resemblances with each other. Both of them had a similar jaw line with well protruded cheekbones. Their eyes were also similar in both being heavy lidded. And this pointed out that they were siblings or they had to be siblings. Another supporter of that cause was that the new enemy was more interested in the well-being of his injured comrade than going after a vulnerable Zack. He kept scolding Dom for something, most probably for losing to a kid like him. His angry outbursts at the latter felt more like an elder sibling scolding the younger one.

This was good news as far as the former soldier first class was concerned. It gifted him enough time, albeit it being just a few minutes, to arrange his thoughts in order. At this moment, he had to put aside thinking whether they were really enemies or not. It had been weighing upon him for some time but currently he had to defeat them or most probably he would be dead meat. Then there was the case of the new semblance. It felt different from the time against Dom.

When he kept counterfeit activated during his first match up, there was that strange sensation he felt when he came within a certain distance of its source. This sensation would result in him feeling an urge to release a power being built up in him. But now he no longer felt that. It was driving him nuts now. It took a lot of trial and error to finally figure out a way to successfully copy another semblance. He had to endure a lot of blows to crack that set of rules. However, now it brought forth different results. He had no clue what if there were any other condition he had to meet to utilize the properties of Counterfeit. Maybe he can copy only a single semblance or had to lose one to copy another. Conversely, there might be another difference he overlooked. If that was the case, he had to experiment a bit again. For that to happen there was only a single thing going on in his favour and that was the lack of killing intent from the enemy. It was odd considering they were both members of a group that sell off children.

Time was running out. The new enemy's short lived exchange between Dom was over, and now, Zack resumed to be his primary source of attention.

The ex-soldier put up his guard and activated the sensory semblance. Measuring the other, he could see that his opponent's aura reserves were well below his own. His own aura had healed up almost all his injuries and it still far exceeded his enemy. This advantage in aura reserves, Zack possessed opened up another option to him which was to tire out the enemy but that came with a huge risk, which he was not willing to take. He gripped honour tightly. Dom who stood next to his _sibling_ , mouthed something to him which Zack guessed was him warning the other about Zack's semblance being activated. It was not an issue for the former soldier considering they had no idea on his real semblance.

Slowly, the light blonde haired foe lifted his weapon and charged at the ex-soldier, after motioning towards his comrade to rest up. Zack sensed that the other's semblance was activated. He held back from charging in. Quickly disabling the sensory semblance, he reactivated Counterfeit.

Again his senses began to get distorted and that feeling of sickness resumed as he entered the enemy's semblance range. But this time, Zack was able to assess the area of effect which he put around 10 metres at the most. A heavy blow came crashing upon him. The ex-soldier held his ground and blocked it with some effort.

He faked putting in a lot of strength and pretended to push his opponent back. The other unaware of this countered in kind, using up more of his own strength to pin Zack down. That made him drop his guard a bit. Zack use this to his advantage to deliver a heavy kick to the latter and knock him off his feet. This created a much needed opening for him. He followed it up with a sharp blow to the enemy's back effectively knocking him to the ground. And before he could regain his footing, the former soldier came down with a powerful stomp, but the enemy was able to roll over in time to seize his foot. Zack failed to be intimidated and used his sword to slash the other. Again the enemy dodged and the slash only made a light cut on his right chest. That made him hold the injured side as in a sudden reflex and the ex-soldier responded with a strong kick to the jaw. Without any delay, Zack swung Honour at him making a deep cut on the other's left shoulder. With that momentum, he rammed the flat side of his blade against the enemy's skull pummelling him to the ground. Instead of utilizing this opportunity any further, he retreated a bit back.

"Brady." The voice of Dom called out to the other as he hurriedly moved in the latter's direction.

"You okay there bro." His tone expressed genuine concern for the latter and gave enough proof for Zack to lay his quandaries whether they were siblings to rest.

" _I get it now_." The ex-soldier lightly loosened his muscles and contemplated between heavy breaths. " _He puts a lot of faith in his own semblance and that makes him drop his guard when it is activated. That explains how he took so much damage from that simple combo_." Zack's mind voiced as he saw his opponent struggling to get back upon his feet after the exchange of blows. His attacks were heavy but not enough to cause any serious damage. " _And his aura fails to guard his body when his semblance is activated. So that explains why he switched off his semblance after the cut to the chest. He was waiting for his aura to heal the wound._ "

" _But think Zack. What might be the cause of your semblance failing to do anything now? There must be another catch to it_." Suddenly it struck him. " _Of course. It might just be a wild guess, still it's better than nothing_. _In the case of Dom, I knew what his semblance did and actually saw it in action. That might be why my body reacted that way_."

He rested the end of honour against the ground and narrowed his eyes. " _If I think about it more, I never experienced that sensation before, against anyone else that I fought. The reason might be just this. I never knew what their semblances did. And I knew what Dom's did. So… that could be the primary condition needed. I need to know what a semblance does and see it in action if I want to copy it._ "

" _But what does this guy's semblance do exactly."_ The frustration he had experienced resurfaced again. He wiped off the sweat drops from his foreheads and tried to come up with a logical inference. _"Everything I thought about it must be wrong. Otherwise I could have experienced that sensation again. So that means it produces some different type of effect than what I'd deduced._ "

The ex-soldier was at his wits end trying to find a solution to this. No matter how hard he tried he could arrive at no coherent conclusion.

" _This is basically cap's area of expertise."_ He sighed to himself. " _I miss you already caps. When you were here, things like this were way too easy._ "

Brady swung his weapon a few times and flexed his muscles as he regained his battle posture. The brief window that Zack had was now finished. The next round was about to begin. Luckily, Dom was in no condition to fight, so that avoided a possibility of ganging up. The ex-soldier wasted no time and charged straight into battle. That feeling of sickness came back again but Zack help up strong and clashed his sword against the flail. Immediately, he leaped backwards till he was outside the range of his foe's semblance.

" _That puts sensory distortion out of the list._ " He murmured to himself. Zack had hatched up a small plan to identify the other's semblance. He would charge at him with counterfeit activated and then retreat after the initial blow. For each turn, he would assume a different effect for his enemy's semblance. His objective was to continue this until he could figure out what was the real effect of Brady's semblance

In accordance with this new plan, he charged in a second time and retreated highly disappointed. Then a third time, a fourth time and after the fifth time, the frustration on his face began to show. " _Tchh. This is getting nowhere_."

As he was about to lose hope, he noticed something else. Dom was at a distance away from Brady but well within the range of his semblance. Still, he did not show any signs of feeling sick. Most strikingly, his movements appeared to be sluggish. As in awkwardly slow.

" _If I had to guess, somehow everything inside that area moves slower. It makes sense now. That explains how everything outside feels like it is moving really fast_."

" _I don't know how accurate this might be but I have this gut feeling that his semblance alters one's perception of time. So that should have caused my senses to be distorted and also that sickness feeling_."

He exasperated to calm himself down. " _I will give it a try_."

Activating counterfeit, he headed charged a sixth consecutive time. He slammed his blade into Brady's flail and retreated as soon as the blow connected.

"Bingo" Zack's asseveration only complimented the victorious grin that creeped into his face. "Gotcha now, big guy."

X-X

Acnologia ran his fist through a creep which was foolish enough to engage him. The dragon king lost count of how many grimm he had killed till now. It was as he suspected, all of these mindless beasts were being attracted towards that aura of negativity he emitted. But no matter, how many came he crushed them like weeds.

The forest emitted a strange ambience. Acnologia was not aware if the others had noticed it. The surge in grimm attacks might have something to do with this abnormal ambience. It felt odd to him that he was also able to sense ethernano at times. The density was minute but the nature of the magical energy was dark. The sort of magic used in demon summoning rituals. He tried many time to locate its source however the presence of this energy would vanish before he could lock on onto it. Only three times, he was able to detect it and currently there was not a trace of it to be found. This energy must be the reason for this strange ambience and the primary source of the enhanced grimm infestation. The black dragon found it unnecessary to invest any more of his time into the matter. Unless anything threatened him, there was no need of his intrusion. And he wasn't a hero to do something for the good of humanity. He was among the strongest in this world. For him nothing stood out as a threat.

The dragon slayer transversed further inside the forest where he sensed the presence of more grimm, stepping over the corpses of countless others around him. These grimm were nothing compared to the myriads of dragons he had slain. They couldn't even compare in threat. Yet the inhabitants of this world were unable to annihilate them. They continued to be tormented by such mindless and weak beasts. All this made his revulsion towards the humans of this new world to grow exponentially.

As he continued to move towards the new target, the sudden screech of a stronger enemy diverted his attention towards it. Somewhere deep in these lands, he did identify the existence of a powerful enemy. And this enemy was moving towards him at a high velocity. That screech was similar to the howl of the one thing he hated with all his might. Coming at him from afar... was a dragon.

On closer analysis by a neutral spectator, it only resembled a wyvern of Earth Land. And it was a creature of grimm. But all this did not do anything to quench the hatred and rage boiling up inside him. To him, it was a dragon, a beast he had thrown away his life to destroy. And after all these years, one finally appeared in front of him.

The dragon moved towards him at a high speed with the intention to kill the human in its sight who had destroyed countless of its race. For over a century the beast had laid dormant deep within the icy mountains that encased the forest awaiting its chance to encounter a strong enemy. Now, that enemy had surfaced. An enemy that had laid to waste countless grimm and dragons alike. An enemy that radiated so much hatred such that it overshadowed that of everyone else. The blue haired dragon slayer in front of it was a nemesis worthy of it. He had awaken it from its slumber of over a century.

It came from the direction of Onyx and from that it was undeniably laid bare that it had been in torpor in the southern side of the village. And it went completely unnoticed by the others. From its body, percolated a tar like liquid which spawned lesser creatures of the grimm. In a short while, the area in its path was teeming with creeps, beowolves and ursai.

Whenever Acnologia, saw a dragon, his ears would echo with the screams of pain and destruction when his city was razed to the ground. This agony was the catalyst that helped him get stronger and this was the reason he could never forgive a dragon. This time too, it was no different. The hatred in him only amplified itself.

The winged grimm lunged towards the dragon slayer who bared his teeth at the beast.

" **Iron fist of the dragon king**." Acnologia's powerful blow sent the dragon crashing through the trees. The powerful impact uprooted atleast a dozen trees and traced a path in the direction it was propelled. The dragon immediately regained itself and took into the air. Again infesting the area with multitudes of grimm.

The dragon slayer was now like a mad man. There was not a tinge of sanity in him. All he wanted now was to destroy the dragon in front of him. He leaped into the air amidst the grimm that surrounded him.

Wasting no time, he began to inhale, gathering magical energy in his mouth. " **Dragon King's Roar.** "

The entire area surrounding him was reduced to a wasteland in an instant. Every grimm vaporised along with the trees and the rocks. But even in that attack, he barely used a fraction of his strength. It was evident in only the area around him being destroyed. If he had used even half of his full potential, the entire forest would have been reduced to dust.

Using wind element magic, the dragon king shot himself into the air. The dragon remained in the air at a low altitude well within his range. Acnologia used wind dragon slayer magic to stabilize himself mid-air.

The winged beast clawed at him trying to cleave him in half. But this was not a foe that could be killed so easily. Acnologia dodged the attack in mid-air and used the same wind magic to charge at it.

" **Frozen fist of the dragon king**." His fist slammed into its skull causing severe damage to the beast.

Acnologia was toying with it. He did not want to end its like in a single strike though, he was well capable of doing so. What he desired was to make the dragon suffer the same pain and torment he had to experience centuries at the hands of the scaled beasts that terrorized his dreams. Only then, did he experience true pleasure.

The dragon slayer landed on the ground again. The grimm was losing its balance and its movements appeared groggy. But still it was not ready to back out. Gaining a bit of its momentum back, it swooped down towards Acnologia. The dragon king remained unfazed and side stepped the initial charge. He followed it with a lightning infused slash at its left side. The dragon collapsed to the ground. But before Acnologia could deliver the killing blow, it somehow propelled itself into the air again. Its left side was severely damaged and it took great effort for it to remain afloat in the air. One more attack and the dragon would perish.

It seemed the beast was also aware of the present scenario as it slowly began to retreat toward the northern side of the forest. Unlike normal grimm, it possessed a certain level of intelligence and due to this, it could conceive that this was an enemy far beyond its capabilities. Retreating was the most viable alternative at its disposal.

The dragon slayer laughed like a madman seeing its helpless plight. The sight of a dragon exhibiting fear and helplessness never ceased to amuse him. He waited for a brief while to take in that beautiful sight, still laughing hysterically.

After some time had elapsed he ceased his laughter. The winged grimm used this moment of respite and had already forged ahead creating a large gap between them. It did not bother Acnologia. His speed was more than enough to catch up to the dragon with little effort. Wielding an evil grin, he prepared to execute his prey.

Suddenly, as if unexpectedly, someone bumped into him from behind. His anger spiked as he turned to see the same blind human girl from the village. Somehow, this girl was able to locate him among the vast expanses of the forests. He did not make any effort to answer how she was able to find him as he ignored her and prepared to slaughter his prey.

After making contact with him, she quickly clung onto him, crying and begging for help. The dragon king failed to hear what her pleas were. That action made his blood boil and his pupils dilated. The hatred had already overcome him. He had no time to waste over an apathetic human. With one whip of his hand, he tossed the girl aside and turned towards the direction of his prey. She fell down to the ground near him, suffering bruises on her figure.

"Please you have to help us Acnologia." The girl got back upon her feet hastily tried to reach him again. But this time, she tripped over and only reached his feet. With every ounce of energy she had, the girl desperately clutched his feet. "We are being attacked by the grimm" She pleaded again. The tears that streamed down her made her voice choke.

Acnologia could hear because of his superior hearing, the cries that came from the village which was now a large distance behind him. But he did not emit even an ounce of care or did he feel any sense of mercy at this.. He roughly lifted the girl by her arm and threw her into the ground. That action twisted her angle rendering her unable to stand up again. Even then, she kept on pleading for help, trying perilously to get back upon her feet.

The dragon king remained oblivious to all this. For him what took the most priority was the dragon. With every moment he wasted here, it managed to create more distance between them and also made the anger and restlessness inside him swell up exponentially.

His ears still caught the screams that echoed from the village. Still, his heart nor his mind wavered. He prepared to hunt down the dragon once again.

As he prepared to rush ahead, a single and an abrupt thought made him halt abruptly. Unknowingly, a strange feeling crept up inside him.

It was not the cries of the village. It was the thought of, what would they say? Itachi had entrusted him to guard the village in case it was attacked. The three of them believed in him. And if he turned his back on Onyx now, any bonds they had between them would be severed. He would be betraying the faith they placed in him. He would become a heartless monster in their eyes. Such a moniker, if it came from anyone else, would fail to entice him, but, they were different. He… loved them. They were the only friends and family he had.

Acnologia's emotions were now in conflict with each other. One half of him wanted to destroy the dragon while the other half still remained confused, unable to muster up any rational thoughts. Coupled with that, the constant pleas of the girl on the ground continued to annoy him. He was going crazy due to the combination of all this. His rage and frustration threatened to boil over. The mere sight of the girl made his blood flare up now. He dashed towards her, with fury brimming in his eyes and his baring his teeth. His countenance resembled that of a mad man driven by anger and hatred, beyond the edge of insanity. He lifted her up antipathetically with full intent on killing her. His hand held her by the throat as he looked straight into her typhlotic eyes. She was unaware of his intentions and held his arm, still begging for help.

She was just a frail, blind girl who could offer no resistance at all. All he had to do was put in a little pressure and her throat would be crushed between his fingers. If he thought more about it, the only evidence that was against him was her. If he ended her now, no one could ever blame him for the destruction of the village. He could just pretend he was oblivious of the fact. Acnologia clenched his jaw in vexation, when the realization as to why he thought about such strange things suddenly hit upon him. Why did he want to destroy an _evidence_?

The girl, Irina kept pleading to him without a break. It kept on spiking his rage against her. And also reeled him back from the bantam of hesitation he experienced earlier. He began to tighten his grip on her throat, his face still mirroring that of a mad man. A little bit more and she would cease breathing.

Still…, somehow, how much he tried, he could not bring himself to do it. He just couldn't prompt his hand to end her life. No matter how much he told himself that he hated her and wanted to kill her, his body just wouldn't move. It froze on that moment.

This rage he felt against her, appeared like it did not stem from her cries for help. It seemed as if he hated her for surrendering her pride and stooping so low for help. Seeing her this close, the similarity she bore to the girl who perished centuries ago, was remarkable. It was as if bearing witness to the cries for help from the same person.

Acnologia could not fathom what had come over him. The multitudes of emotions that contradicted themselves within him, did not aid in calming his heart. Seeing her invoked some sort of strange sensation within him. This was the same sensation he experienced earlier in the village when he laid eyes on her the first time. That time, he had done the same process he had always followed in this second birth of his. He shoved those feelings aside and pretended he had no time to ponder over that. In short, he ran away from that sensation, afraid of the consequences it wold have on him. But now, he couldn't hide anymore. Her presence, invoked centuries old memories within him. Memories he thought he had long since forgotten but were in reality, hidden deep beneath his being. These memories took him to that time when he was Acnologia, not the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse, Acnologia but when he was just the Dragon Slayer, Acnologia. Back to when he was considered a saviour of humanity. Back to when he was… human.

Ever since, he found his inability to transform into a dragon, he had always questioned himself. To the others he expressed that it enabled him to relish the taste of normal food. But what he hid from them was that he had begun to develop human emotions. Those strange feelings he had forgotten since time immemorial. Feelings of friendship, comradeship, care and love.

He did not want to believe it. But has he really become… human again? No, it can't be. He still despised and loathed mortals and everyone besides his comrades. He had borne witness to bigger atrocities and looked away. Then what was it with this blind girl in front of him that created this strange phenomenon in him?

Yes, that was it. For some reason, she wielded the same power the other three had. A rare ability he had thought only his friends possessed. Like them ,she was able to ignite the stray sparks of humanity that lie dormant within him. Whether it was due to the resemblance she bore with the girl whose life he was unable to save, or because she reminded him of his own helplessness he felt during the reign of the scaled beasts. He couldn't fathom what it was. The only thing he could say with conviction was about that strange sensation in his heart. It was something that had become a stranger to him centuries ago. It was… kindness. This emotion was what prevented him from taking her life. And this emotion, stirred up a desire in him, to… save her.

Acnologia loosened his grip on her and moved her aside gently, no longer bearing any intention to hurt her. The dragon slayer's visage transposed to something that was unintimidating, as the hatred and anger within him began to subside. He gently closed his eyes to compose himself and tried to sense the scent of his friends but was unable to pinpoint their location. All he could sense was their faint scent. It meant they had to be far away from his location and since he was the one who was the closest to the village, it meant they would be at a greater distance from Onyx. Zack and Itachi had nothing at their disposal that allowed them to sense the presence of grimm. Gohan could sense life energy but grimm had no life energy. So it was unlikely, he would be aware of the ordeal. So, it fell upon his shoulders to defend the inhabitants. He had decided now on what he had to do. He was going to protect the villagers of Onyx. For this, he was again, going to keep aside his hatred and swallow his pride.

" _I will prove to you that you can trust me, Itachi Uchiha._ " He smirked to himself as he closed his eyes for a second time. " _The mighty Dragon of the Apocalypse, Acnologia, moved by a little blind girl."_ Acnologia opened his eyes again that for some reason emitted a strange ambience. _"Ridiculous."_

"You human." He shouted out to Irina. "Can you walk?"

He inched in closer to her. The expression on his face was unlike the same visage he bore all the time. It failed to display annoyance, arrogance or anger. What, it did display was care. "If you cannot, you will perish."

"Will you save us Acnologia?" She was still crying, trying desperately but unable to get back up. Her angle was twisted and his earlier action had resulted in bruises and cuts in her body. She was experiencing great pain but even then, only the thought of her village occupied her mind. "Please, you promised to protect us."

"Get up and follow me." He barked at her, not moving from where he stood just at an arm's length from her. "If you cannot keep up, I will leave you behind." The dragon king's voice was still bitter, still it helped calm her down.

"Yes I can walk." Irina replied, hurriedly drying her tears. "Please hurry." She added and tried desperately to stand back up. And like before, it ended up as a failure.

Acnologia did not know what he had to do. There was no way, a blind girl with an injured angle could keep up with him. It was a huge surprise to him, she even managed to find him in this grimm infested forest. And more shockingly, managed to survive long enough, to find him. Most probably, she ran to the forest, hoping to find any one of them for help. If he had to guess, it might have been the impact and noise from his breath attack, that lead her to his location, or it might have been just sheer luck or maybe even the hands of fate. Now, he did not want to abandon her in this forest. She wouldn't even last a single minute, when it was teeming with grimm after the arrival of the dragon. If he left her to her own, she would just turn into food for the grimm. He felt his body move on its own, or maybe, that was what he liked to think. He bent down next to her and lifted her up on his back.

"Hold on tight or you will fall off." His voice was gruff and his facial expressions remained undecipherable. "If you fall off, you will die." He barked at her again as he prepared to dart off in the direction of Onyx.

" _Ridiculous_ "

X-X

Gohan gently laid down each of the children on the ground. There were eight kids in total. He felt the pulses of each and sensed the condition of their life energy. They were still unconscious, but their lives were not in danger. None of them were no older than 10 years and yet over half of them had their auras unlocked and it seemed it was done by forceful means. It made him clench his fist in anger thinking about how people could do something like this to kids. Then again did he actually had the right to be angry? When he could not do anything against the transgressors, remaining as a mere spectator as Itachi delivered judgement upon them.

He sat near the ground where he laid down the children. At such a young age, they had to be subjected to such atrocities. Could he blame Itachi's actions? No, he could never do that. Itachi was right in what he did but also wrong. To the demi saiyan, arriving at a rational conclusion seemed implausible at the moment.

Maybe Itachi was right, it was his father's soft nature that had become his downfall. Even still, if he were in his father's stead, he would have still spared Gero. It was the same with Frieza. His father was able to show mercy to such an evil tyrant who had driven their race to extinction and had slaughtered countless innocent, helpless people. And it resulted in him coming to Earth to exact his vengeance. In that moment, if it father hadn't returned in time, they would have all perished. Thinking on that, Gohan had to agree with Itachi. Not everyone who were shown mercy changed. They did come back for revenge and one of these acts of mercy was the sole reason his entire life was turned to ruin.

The thirst for battle never existed within him. After spending all his previous life waging a never ending battle against a stronger foe, he had developed an even stronger deep rooted aversion to fighting. Still, he trained his mind and body everyday knowing that if a stronger enemy surfaced, he had to protect this new home of his. Amidst all this he could never bring himself to hurt another. His mentor, Piccolo was the one who taught him the basics of combat. He was a strict teacher, but regarded him as his own son. Piccolo taught him to never drop his guard, never trust an enemy but even after all this Gohan still did. After a while the namekian himself came to the realization that the son of Goku was at odds with his father in this regard. Still, that did not cease to halt the love and affection he felt towards the young boy. His father had passed away when he was so young. He was never lucky enough to train with his father. After the battle against Frieza, he had to abandon combat as his mother was against it. She wanted him to go to school and grow up like a normal kid. In reality, that outcome was what he too really preferred. Not only that, unlike pure blooded saiyans, he did not inherited that innate lust for battle. He wanted to study, grow up to be a scholar. However fate had a different story weaved for him. The son of Goku did not wish to think more about the matter.

"Gohan" As the demi saiyan reflected upon himself, Itachi had come near him. The demi saiyan turned to his friend who extended his hand towards him. He took the Uchiha's hand got back on his feet.

"We have to take them back to the village now." The saiyan hybrid's tone was impassive and his gaze avoided that of the Uchiha.

"I understand." Itachi bit his lip. He let the moment get to him and said many things he wished he hadn't. Gohan was his best friend and hurting him, stung him even more.

"I sincerely apologize for my actions earlier." The Uchiha's tone was sombre and his face was wistful. "The heat of the moment got to my head and I should not have said such words."

"I am not angry at you Itachi. You only spoke the truth." The demi saiyan coerced a grin on his lips.

"You were right." Gohan responded still unwilling to look Itachi in the eye. "It was my father's soft nature that resulted in all those tragedies in my life."

Gohan's voice was dismal and it really hurt Itachi. He began to utter out a proper reply but the demi saiyan interrupted him. "But I would never hold a grudge against him for that. Until his death my father never changed who he was. To me, he was the greatest hero the world had ever seen"

"What I meant was..." Itachi began but stifled on his words and was again interrupted.

"It is the same for me Itachi. No matter what happens I cannot change who I am. Even if it is against my fiercest enemy, I could never bring myself to take the life of a living thing, or remain deaf to pleas of mercy." Gohan's voice was strong and its tone showed how much he meant it.

"I am sorry if I disappointed you." He turned to his friend and this time looked him straight in the eye. "I can never be a killer."

Itachi smirked as he closed his eyes. "Then do not change who you are."

"You are too kind Gohan. You have a heart that is too good to be true. And you have the ability to find kindness within you in any situation."

The sharingan user wasn't lying at all when he said those words. Unlike him, Gohan was not trained to be a fighter. As a shinobi and a former member of the Anbu, he could shed his humanity whenever he needed to. The demi saiyan was an exception, he did not possess the heart of a warrior, what he did possess what the heart of a selfless hero.

"Your strength Gohan." Itachi laid a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "It originates not from your desire to defeat your enemies, rather it stems from your desire to protect everyone you hold dear."

A sideways glee took shape on the Uchiha's face. "That strength is one that protects and not one that destroys."

Gohan closed his eyes and smiled in reply. "Thank You Itachi."

"Still." Itachi resumed. "There are some enemies that have to be executed and some situations where you have to put aside mercy."

"I know it is impossible for you and so in such situations I will always be there to have your back."

"Remember, that I will always have your back too." The Uchiha had put it in a light way so as to conceal what he really implied. Gohan understood it all too well. Itachi meant that he would be there to do the dirty work for him. And Gohan meant he would be there to stop the Uchiha from traversing down such a path. He never wanted to see Itachi make the same face ever again.

This exchange had helped drastically tone down the tension between them. Gohan had learnt to accept Itachi's actions and Itachi had learnt to accept the half saiyan's. This exchange was abruptly halted at the sight of an enemy they had never seen before.

"Is that… a Dragon?" Itachi was startled. He never anticipated in his wildest imagination that they would encounter a dragon here. He was aware of the stories about numerous ss class grimm in the area but a dragon was amongst the strongest grimm in existence.

Gohan immediately took up a protective position in front of the kids. "It is dangerous Itachi." His eyes turned serious. "Be careful."

The Uchiha barely opened his mouth when a sight he couldn't fathom took him by surprise. "You see that Gohan." His eyes widened. "It is giving rise to numerous grimm."

That strange phenomenon also dismayed the demi saiyan but he quickly calmed himself down and took his fighting stance. "We have to protect these kids at any cost." His voice ceased to be bleak. This was no time to waste upon his own emotions.

"You take off into the sky and confront it." Itachi's orders came out loud and clear. "I will take out the ones on the ground."

Gohan nodded in acknowledgement and flew in to the air, towards the dragon which was now only barely metres away from them.

"I have to end this quick." He voiced to himself. The grimm were just mindless beasts to him. They were a threat to all living things and needed to be annihilated. For the half saiyan, the grimm took the place of the heartless androids in his world and so he had no qualms about destroying them.

Itachi Uchiha prepared himself for a tricky battle. At all costs, he had to keep the kids safe.

"Shadow Clone jutsu" He shouted as he weaved the hand sign, producing six different clones of himself. The real Itachi wielded his weapon, Shine and Shadow while the clones wielded kunai knives. They spread out forming a circle around the children who were still unconscious.

The Uchiha and his clones did not move too far away from their location, taking out only the grimm that came within a certain range. The dragon kept spawning numerous grimm and if he spread out now, it might endanger the kids he had to safeguard. The best option at his disposal was to hold his ground till Gohan took out the dragon and put an end to the emergence of new grimm.

The demi saiyan readied his stance and charged straight at the winged beast. His powerful fist crashed into its jaw severing a part of it along with the impact. He was able perceive that the foe in front of him had suffered serious damages to its side which limited its movements. That procreated only one conclusion in his mind, however, he had no time to ponder over it.

He followed it with another jab underneath its jaw propelling it backwards.

Gohan cupped his hands "KA…"

He drew his hands towards him as a sphere of energy began to form between his hands. "ME…"

"HA…"

"ME…"  
"HAA…" With that he unleashed his signature move at the dragon, vaporising it.

The saiyan hybrid then looked down, and saw Itachi engaging with the grimm which were numerous in numbers. All of them were lower class ones but their numbers were no laughing matter.

Gohan retreated both his hands a bit backwards, then converged them forward, cupping them together, and creating a large sphere of yellow energy between his palms.

"Itachi" He bellowed towards the Uchiha. "Get back"

Itachi responded quickly and immediately pulled back.

"Scatter Kamehameha." Gohan released the energy sphere which split into several tiny balls of KI. He controlled each of them perfectly and directed each towards the grimm that were present below him. A rain of energy descended upon the beasts, destroying each and every one of them.

"Gohan" Itachi began as soon as the demi saiyan had descended. "That beast came from the direction of the village if my intuition is right." He spoke in a hurried tone. "Quickly locate the energy of the villagers."

The half saiyan did not wait another moment as he got to the task. "This is bad." His face turned brood. "It seems they are being attacked. I can tell that they are panicked."

"We have no more time to waste then." Itachi turned arduous. "I will…"

"But there is no need to worry." The saiyan hybrid cut in mildly. "The energy of the villagers are concentrated at a single location. I assume they have gathered together in the church." He smirked gently before he continued. "They have Acnologia protecting them."

Itachi's countenance displayed he was more confounded now than worried. He did not want to believe it but Acnologia, actually going back to defend the village appeared absurd to him. "Gohan, are you sure?" he questioned, after a brief pause.

"Yes I am." The demi saiyan replied.

He then heaved a deep sigh and composed himself. "Itachi I understand, you do not completely trust him and I don't blamed blame you for that."

"But…" Gohan's tone turned austere. "I believe in him. Although he has a problem with humanity, he holds us in high regard and values us as his dear friends."

"So, what I want to say is that he would never betray your trust. He must have surely gone back because you instructed him to."

Itachi was still not convinced and began to grow restless. He wanted to head back to the village as fast as he could.

"That dragon." The demi saiyan was not ready to give up. "It had already suffered heavy damage. And guessing from its direction only one person is capable of such a feat and that is him."

His efforts had begun to somewhat pacify the sharingan user. "We know how much hatred he has towards Dragons and he was ready to overlook that Itachi." Gohan placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder. "I'll agree, he would never do that for the villagers."

"He did that for us. To uphold the faith we placed in him."

The Uchiha's face showcased defeat. "So you knew that all along, huh?" H sheathed his weapon. "Still that does not mean we should leave him all alone. Let us head back too."

"I will use my shadow clones to carry the children and…"

"There is no need for that." Gohan shot back earning an exclamation of shock from the other. "Let us leave it to Acno. He is more than capable of handling this."

Gohan scratched his head. "Honestly, he is even stronger than you."

"Oh! I see" Itachi understood what Gohan was trying to convey. He himself had misunderstood the fact that, Gohan knew the trust issue between him and Acnologia. The saiyan hybrid was asking Itachi to give Acnologia a chance to earn his trust. Unlike him, Gohan had full faith in Acnologia. Full faith that he would never betray them.

"I will stay here with the children until they wake up." Gohan added. "These kids have had their auras unlocked. There is no telling what might happen when they wake up. If worst comes to fear, I don't want the villagers to suffer anymore." The demi saiyan stopped abruptly with his explanation when he realized the gravity of the thing she was describing. "You better find Zack."

"Where is he now?" Itachi retorted not wanting to question his friend further. He understood very well what Gohan meant by that. Kids who have their auras forcefully unlocked at such a young age might showcase strange reactions. Having auras unlocked so young was sometimes viewed as a taboo by many.

"Just head towards our west and you'll find him."

"Ok." The sharingan user prepared to head towards Zack's direction. "Take care." The Uchiha added as he began to move.

The son of Goku waved back and sat on the ground near the children.

Itachi could descry that Gohan was mentally tired. This day had been too much for him and what he wanted the most at this moment was some time alone. There were many things the Uchiha had wanted to say to him. About Acnologia. About his friend still doubted himself and about his actions on the day he lost his life against the androids. But now was not the time or place. The best thing to do right now was to leave him alone to his thoughts. Itachi had come to believe that when Gohan was having such episodes, nothing mollified him more than just sitting and reflecting upon things.

He deeply regretted his actions and his words. And that regret got bigger with each passing moment. In truth he only wanted Gohan to see the other side of things. To convince him that mercy is something not to be shown to everyone. Still, Gohan would never change and he had to accept that. He had to love him for who he was. This also held truth in case of Acnologia.

X-X

"Ok kid. You win" Dom suddenly cut in amidst the battle between Zack and Brady. Zack was successfully able to copy Brady's semblance and with that, the tides of battle shifted in his favour. Their semblances cancelled out each other, leaving it to a test of speed and strength, giving the ex-soldier the clear advantage. This advantage was evident in their current physical conditions. Brady was highly injured while Zack had only minor bruises in his form with his aura having healed all other damages.

"Listen. Leave my brother alone." The bistre haired man resumed. His tone was desperate and echoed sadness along with defeat. "You can kill me but leave him alone, you hear."

That statement made Zack lower his sword. There was about fifteen metres between him and his opponent, who barely stood on his two legs.

"What do you think you're doing, you idiot?" Brady, who was the elder brother of Dom barked at his sibling. He used his weapon to lift himself off the ground. "I'll hold him back. You escape in that time."

"I can't do it Bro." Dom riposted, his face showing how serious he was. "You are stronger than me brother. You have to survive to fulfil the promise we made when we were kids."

"I can't abandon you like this. Just run away as I said. I'll hold him back long enough for you to escape."

Zack had a multitude of emotions going on inside him now. Above all, he was confused and annoyed. "*Ahem*."

"Can you explain what's going on here?" He stated after gaining their attention, letting honour fall freely towards the ground, as he held it with his right hand..

The both of them looked at him but did not utter a word. They still had that aggressive expression on their faces. Zack sheathed Honour and went up to the duo. Dom and Brady, quickly took up an attacking stance as he approached them.

"Hey, hey." Zack put up his hands defensively. "Calm down guys." He tried his best to ease the situation but to no avail.

Seeing his efforts were unfruitful, he assumed a more serious outlook. "How about this. You tell me what the hell is going on and I'll spare the both of you." He had on an authoritative tone as he laid his hand on his hips.

Zack had a gut feeling the two men in front of him were far from killers. True warriors can understand almost everything about their opponent during a battle. And that is exactly what had happened. From the time he engaged Dom in battle, he knew he might have been mistaken. But there was only a little evidence to substantiate that. And both his opponents did nothing to add to that either. So he passed off his gut feeling as nonsense and continued. When Brady entered the fray, he was so intent on hurting Zack that the ex-soldier began to refute his initial claims. When he thought about it now, they did not seem like bad guys at all and definitely not the type that would prey on hapless villagers. Brady's actions must have been influenced by the damage he inflicted upon Dom.

"Listen guys." He sighed to himself. "I believe there has been a misunderstanding."

The ex-soldier resumed in a repined tone. "I don't think you guys are part of that bandit group and it seems you have mistook me for a killer of sorts."

This sort of calmed down the two brothers, still they did not lower their guards. "What are you trying to pull kid?" The elder of the two questioned.

"We'll save that for later." Zack shot back. "First you tell me about yourselves."

The two brothers looked at each other's faces and then turned to the ex-soldier. Deep inside, a part of them wanted to believe the teenager in front of them. Like he had guessed, both of the hunter siblings too had more or less came to a similar sequitur that there was a misunderstanding.

"We are professional hunters who have graduated from the Atlas academy." The younger one stated with slight doubt lingering in his voice.

"Atlas? Really?" Zack made no effort to hide his jubilation as he cut in. "I'm from Alsius."

As soon as he finished, the two brother's eyes widened in shock as they again looked at each other in disbelief.

"Wait" Dom turned to Zack after regaining his composure. "We got done in by a kid. I mean just a kid."

"Hey, that's rude." Zack raised his fist. "Might I add, I'm part of the invincible IZAG? We are pretty famous, you know."

"Sorry, never heard of you." The both of them replied in unison much to the disappointment of Zack who puffed his cheeks in annoyance.

The former soldier sighed to himself in defeat. "Well whatever."

"Tell me why you are here?" Zack questioned them, tapping his feet to show how edgy he was now. Still, it seemed they were not ready to believe him completely. It was noticeable that they did not regard him as a killer anymore but still had major doubts about his presence there.

"Alright I'll start." The former soldier first class moved closer to them, illating either he himself had to take the initiative or things would remain at a standstill.

"My name is Zack ... Knight. Zack Knight. I am a student of Alsius academy and our team were assigned with a mission to help out the villagers here at Onyx." He concluded.

The ex-soldier folded his arms. "There you guys happy." With that explanation, the looks on the sibling's faces expressed they were ready to trust him much more.

Brady looked at his brother's face who nodded in reply. "Alright, we'll tell you. It looks like we have no other choice here." The older sibling began as both of them sheathed their weapons. "We heard about an organization operating here from one of its lackeys we had a tussle with a few days ago. And since we don't see kids alone in these parts, we assumed you might be one of them. And when you were able to hold you own against us, it just fuelled that suspicion."

"Understandable." Zack began to give himself airs after that. He lifted his chin and put up a regal countenance "Continue please."

Dom and Brady inwardly sweat dropped at his sudden change in attitude. "But we came here mainly for another purpose." The elder one continued. "And we thought of eliminating those scum along the way."

"You should have told me that earlier, seniors" Zack went near them and put is arms around their shoulders, pulling them into a group hug.

"Seniors." Both siblings sweat dropped in unison.

"Kid, you were also to blame. You came at us like you wanted to kill us." Brady cut in.

"No." Zack interrupted. "It was you little brother who started it by calling me a thief." He began to shake the younger hunter sibling violently as to justify his cause. "In any way you look at it, I am innocent."

Both sibling s sighed in defeat. "Since it's all cleared up, just let us go kid." Dom added reassuming his sublime tone as in the beginning.

"Not yet." Zack nodded in the negative. "You didn't tell me the reason you came here."

"Kid. You came here to aid the villagers at Onyx, am I right?" The eldest of the siblings questioned, which earned him a nod in the affirmative from Zack. "That means your real enemy is that organization. You need to take them out."

"First of all don't call them an organization. Just use bandit or scum. We use bandits." The ex-soldier rolled his shoulders. "Secondly, caps and G man are already on it. They are like many times stronger than me. So if you ask me, that problem would be history by now."

Dom and Brady looked at him in disbelief. They did not want to believe it but the confidence that was prevalent in his words made them think otherwise. Another major shock was knowing that this kid's teammates were stronger than him. Even this kid was too strong for his age who took down two pro hunters and still remained standing.

"So" Zack declared to the bewildered duo. "Tell me what the reason you came here for was. If it's something good, I'll maybe lend you a hand."

He then scratched his head and added in a hushed tone. "I feel like… I sort of like, owe you guys for something."

"Listen, we don't…'Dom began but stopped abruptly when he felt his elder brother's hand upon his shoulder. He turned to his brother and nodded at him.

"I'll tell you kid." Brady came up. "I sort of like you now." He smirked at the ex-soldier, while also gaining one from the latter.

"There was once a village here, deep in the forest known as Hage. It is where our parents were born." He began with a bitter tone. "Our parents were the only kids who attended a huntsman academy from the village." He halted to take a short lived breather before proceeding further.

"Kid" He directed at Zack. "You can most probably guess how these villages out here are treated, can't you? And especially when it has more number of faunus population. You could guess that, from them sending a junior academy team for aid."

The ex-soldier shook his head to show he understood. But did not utter any words. Zack knew he was bad at these kinds of situation and so preferred to maintain his silence.

"Our village was more isolated than even Onyx. So, one day it was overrun by grimm, killing most people and displacing the rest." Brady's voice showed how much that still hurt him. "Our parents were away at that time, so they could not do anything to help. But when they heard about what happened, they came back to avenge the villagers."

"There is…" Dom abruptly interrupted the narration. He looked at his elder brother as if asking the other to let him take over. It was not an easy memory for them and Dom did not want his elder brother swallowing the entire thing on his own.

"There is an ss class grimm that lives in this forest the locals call Zoroax." Dom started with a shaky tone. "Well, to be more precise he is regarded as a myth because no one's actually seen him before."

The axe wielding huntsman appeared to be despondent. "The survivors told our parents, it was Zoroax that destroyed the village."

"Look at it Zacky, we were told that the grimm attacks surge up when he comes out of his dwelling. Don't you think it is possible?" He had slowly started to become more confident.

Zack made no effort to reply. Once again he nodded his head to show he was in agreement.

"Our parents tried to hunt him down and left one day." The voice of the younger of the two, turned wistful. "That was the last time we ever saw them."

"I am extremely sorry." Zack blurted out. He was horrible in consoling people. The only thing he knew was to listen to everything people had to say and lending a supporting shoulder. Words of consolation was never his strong suit.

"So, that was the promise we made as kids long ago. That we will destroy that grimm which plagues these forests." He concluded. "You are free to believe us or not. But that was the honest truth"

"I believe you." The ex-soldier retorted. "I don't feel you are lying at all." He flashed them a grin. His reply brought a little smile to the faces of the hunter siblings.

"I may not have cap's inhuman abilities of deduction but I can see if someone's lying or not _most of the time._ " The last three words were spoken in a barely audible tone.

"That aside, let's go hunt that thing down." Zack his fist against his palm. "Our mission was to take out the grimm attacking the village and this seems to be one major issue here."

He put a hand on each of their shoulders. "So, it means I get to complete my mission as well as help you guys keep your promise. It is a win-win situation isn't it?"

"But…" Dom began only to be impeded quickly by Zack. "Besides you guys are in no shape to even fight an ursa. Let's work together on this."

The ex-soldier was telling the truth when he told about it being a good outcome to them both. His mission was to clear out the grimm and he had heard in class about how stronger grimm tend to attract minor ones towards it. So, taking out the ss class would be a solution to the surge in grimm attacks.

Then there were other reasons for extending his aid. For one, he regretted attacking them like that based on a simple misunderstanding. He was also to blame for that though he kept denying that. In midst of his battle with Dom, he had a feeling that he was not a threat like he thought him to be, still he continued with the fight because of the sudden revelation of how his semblance worked. This overcame his doubts and he did not try to clarify what he felt or have a proper talk to sort things out. Secondly, he was indeed moved by their narration and their motivation. It was only fair he helped them after all the damage he did to them. Thirdly, he felt obliged to them for helping him with his semblance problem.

"Well, thanks. I guess." Dom spouted.

"I agree you are stronger than us kid. But this is an ss class we are talking about." Brady was not pleased how lightly the ex-soldier was taking the threat to be. "Are you sure with your decision?" The older of the sibling inwardly made little effort to dissuade him. He wanted to avenge his parents and that motivation had helped him grow stronger through the years. He understood how dangerous it was to confront an ss class like that. But he did want to pass up this opportunity. It was a hint on how desperately he wanted to destroy Zoroax.

"Believe me when I tell you I've beaten stronger monsters." The ex-soldier's demeanour changed into a serious one. "It won't be a problem at all."

"And there is another thing." He cut off the siblings as they prepared to say something. "My… semblance. Ahem."

Zack paused briefly to take a deep breath. "I had no idea on what my semblance did or how it worked at all. After I fought you guys I realized what my semblance did." He went on not bothering to pay any heed to the surprised looks on the faces of the duo.

"It allows me to copy the semblance of others and make it my own. I can, like pull it out any time I want. And also you helped me figure out the hefty procedure I need to follow to do that." He ended that sentence he spoke under a single breath with a grin. "I have to repay you guys for that, don't I?"

It was safe to say the jaws of the listeners were literally on the floor. A long period of silence followed before the eldest of the siblings composed himself to break the silence. "I don't want to say anything else. But that must be the reason my semblance failed to produce any effect on you after a while. It might have been cancelled off."

"I guess so." Zack scratched his chin. "But wait, there's more." He added with a smile a toddler would make when he found out where his parents hid all the chocolates. "I've decided to give them cool names."

"I'll call yours, Aura sensor." He pointed towards Dom. "And" He shifted the position of his finger towards Brady. "I'll call it vector."

"That's all well kid." Brady cleared his throat. "But we are shifting away from the topic at hand."

"Wait." Dom intercepted him. "Vector is way too cool for a name."  
"Why is mine called aura sensor. That's so lame." He kept whining and received a smack on his head from his elder brother for that. This reminded Zack of the fact that Dom was a bit weak in the mental department. A fact he had forgotten after a while before.

"Zack. Who are they and why are you goofing around?" Itachi sneaked behind Zack startling all three present. No one even noticed the Uchiha's presence as he approached them. Itachi observed them for a short while before he came into the scene. He noticed that the two others present before Zack had suffered numerous injuries and Zack himself displayed some cuts and bruises. From it he deduced that a battled has been fought between them. Even from that afar, the Uchiha gauged that the siblings were not a threat or people with malicious intent. It wouldn't be a surprise to him if the fighting was all due a misunderstanding.

"Caps." Zack was overjoyed. He caught Itachi off guard and sidled in a hug. "How did it go caps?" He went on as Itachi pushed him away with light embarrassment surfacing on his face.

"It went fine." He replied in his usual expressionless tone. "We have successfully rescued all the children. Gohan is with them at the moment."

"I knew you guys could do it." The ex-soldier patted his team leader on the back.

"So" Zack began again. "What happened to those…?"

"Tell me what is going on here Zack?" Itachi broke him off with a rough tone.

He did not want to delve further into details at the moment. Zack was different from Gohan in that aspect. He could never be ruthless as Itachi but could draw a clear line between those who deserved mercy and those who didn't. Telling Zack, he slaughtered the entire group won't incite ill feelings in him. Still, the Uchiha did not feel like telling him that.

"I have to add that we are here on a highly important mission and this is clearly not the time for you to fool around." The Uchiha's voice was sharp and clear. It also served the purpose to shift the topic of the conversation.

"The things is caps." The ex-soldier gave out a toothy grin. "It's a long story."

 **A LITTLE WHILE LATER**

"I see." Itachi cupped his chin with his left arm. "If we dispatch off the ss class grimm, it might put an end to the constant grimm attacks in the village."

Those words from his caps brought a lot of colour to Zack's face. "So, caps. We are gonna hunt it down, aren't we?" He responded rather excited.

"It seems the beast plausible method to purge the grimm attacks, atleast for a short duration." Itachi replied brightening the moods of the two hunter siblings present.

"Now tell me.' The Uchiha turned to the hunter siblings. "How strong is this Zoroax and what is it officially called?"

"It's an ss class grimm." Brady came up to him. "I don't know about official names. It was like a, sort of a myth among our villagers that it inhabits the old ruins deeper into these icy forest. Only a few have ever laid eyes on it."

"Oh! I see. It is not that difficult to perceive why that threat remained just a myth." Itachi concluded after analysing various aspects of things ever since he came to this place. He had done a study of the location and had read somewhere that this place contained a lot of rumoured ss classes.

"So caps." Zack's voice came through. "What's the plan?"

"I presume, these ruins must be laden with grimm." The Uchiha directed towards the eldest of the hunter siblings while he motioned Zack to wait, making the latter stick out his tongue in displeasure.

"You are right." Brady affirmed Itachi's doubts. "Well, it is not that difficult to figure out, but that is the main reason everyone has stayed away from it."

Itachi was far from convinced. He knew about the time constraints and did not want to misuse it for just a hunch. Narrowing his brows, he questioned again, this time his voice a bit louder and sharper. "Have you ever laid eyes upon this grimm?"

"Honestly, no." Dom was the one who spoke. He sighed slightly to resent his lack of information. "But from all we heard, it resembles a giant reptile."

Itachi was not entirely satisfied, however, the case proved to arouse his interest in it. And like Zak's reasoning, he too had come to the conclusion that taking out an ss class could reduce the constant grimm attacks in the village.

"In that case." He turned again to Zack. "Zack and I will dispatch of it."

"And the both of you." He shifted his attention towards the hunter siblings. "You will act as our backup and guides. Do not do anything foolish. You are in no condition to fight let alone against an ss class." Itachi had such a commanding presence about him that the other three made no effort to question his plan of action.

"I am aware of how strong you are from what your friend here told us." The blonde haired sibling voiced. "But, this is an ss class. It takes more…"

"Caps." Zack cut off the elder hunter sibling from speaking any further. "I forgot to ask you this. But why did you take so much time taking out those thugs?"

The ex-soldier began cracking is knuckles. "Were they that tough?"

"No. Zack." Itachi allayed his doubts. "They were weak except for their leader."

"However." His visage changed to meet the gravity of the encounter he had to experience before. "We had to deal with a dragon that came up." The Uchiha told it with such a calm and collected tone as if it was just an everyday affair for him.

"Damn!" Zack expressed his disappointment. "I also wanted to beat a dragon so bad."

The other two on the scene had their eyes literally popping out of their heads. It was not every day you hear people talk about killing dragons like child's play. Whichever way they looked at it, Itachi was not lying. Any dubious thoughts they harboured about the two Alsius academy students, were almost laid to rest after hearing those words.

"Yo guys." The ex-soldier brought the hunter siblings back to reality. "Let's go"

Brady and Dom snapped out of the sudden mind-out they experienced, and nodded in consent.

The Uchiha who was in front motioned to the two of them to lead the way. By this time, their auras had successfully healed most of their injuries. Still, they were in no condition to fight against a strong opposition, but, it was enough to prevent any constraints in their movements. The two of them began to move towards the direction of the ruins they had heard about. Zack followed them as soon as they began to move.

Itachi hesitated for a moment to think whether he was right in the decision he made. Taking a deep breath he assured himself, it was all going to be okay. And proceeded to follow the others towards the ruins.

He hard to make a hard decision of leaving the protection of the village to Acnologia. After he left Gohan, he had no intention to get back to Zack. He really wanted to head back to the village. But somewhere in between he changed his mind. It was more like half of him told him to leave it to Acno and the other half told him, not to trust him. This was the reason, he arrived so late at Zack's location. Many times, he had to stop in between, contradicting his own decisions. One time he would decide to head towards Onyx and in the next, he would decide against it. This kind of scenario rarely took place within Itachi, who was always sure of the decisions he had to make. Still, it made him think a lot about the dark blue haired comrade of his. There was no denying his loyalty towards them and there was definitely no question about his strength. He was well capable of taking out any grimm regardless of their numbers. But it was his purpose Itachi doubted. The Uchiha had seen and interacted with multiple individuals during his lifetime and he could whole heartedly say that Acnologia would never fight to protect the villagers. Even then, the dragon king had decided to go back. It projected an infinite number of thoughts into his mind. And he came to one conclusion after a long while. He decided to trust his comrade, no… his friend. He himself had instructed Acno to head back to the village if something was amiss and he did exactly that. Thinking back, Acnologia had always followed Itachi's instruction without much questioning. For someone as arrogant and prideful like him to do that, it was broad as daylight, how much of his pride he had to swallow and how much arrogance he had to put aside. He did it all for the sake of the bond he developed with them.

Itachi could not preach morals to him. He himself had taken the lives of the transgressors, while Acnologia had never taken a life since he came to this world. They were able to hold him back from venting out the rage he felt when humans and faunus crossed him. On deeper thought, Itachi realized he had been contravening himself. He always assured himself that he never doubted Acno's loyalty, but, that was exactly what he had been doing all this time. He himself was repudiating his thoughts and his actions. He kept telling himself he trusted Acnologia but his own actions and words showcased the opposite. In this situation, he himself was to be blamed. This cognizance compelled his other half, which kept doubting the dragon slayer, to have full faith in his dark skinned friend. Gohan was right, Acnologia may have no sympathy towards mortals but he would never betray his comrades.

" _Go get them Acno_." Itachi maundered as he continued to head towards the ruins.

X-X

The Dark Blue haired Dragon Slayer's fist passed through the skull of the last remaining Beowulf rendering it lifeless. All around him laid the corpses of the grimm which had spawned from the dragon. It did not take very long for the dragon king to destroy each and every beast that prowled through the village. He dispatched them off with ease. When he had come back to Onyx, the entire vicinity was flooded with the black beasts, but now it was filled with their carcasses.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the village folks assigned to be watchers who stood atop the church bearing witness to his fight, signalling to the ones present inside that it was safe outside.

 _When he had arrived, a few of the able bodied villagers were fighting the grimm while the rest were huddled inside the church. Acnologia did not wait for any niceties. The dragon king put down the girl he carried on his back near the closest house he saw and went on a rampage against the grimm. At first, the villagers tried to lend him a helping hand. But after a while, they themselves realized how powerless they were, and the only thing they accomplished was dragging him down. Only three type of grimm were present, the same three types that spawned from the Dragon. Beowolves, ursai and creeps._

After the extermination, Acnologia stood at the spot, brushing off the dirt that had gathered on his cloak. Then he looked around the entire landscape to assess the current scenario. He could see the populace leave the church and many celebrate in joy. Due to all the grimm being of lower classes, there were no casualties. Still, there were a few injured, but none of those injuries were fatal.

After a little while, Acnologia found himself surrounded by the entire denizens of Onyx. There was always this aberrant aura about him. This restricted others from approaching him so casually. Everyone who came within its range never failed to experience this intimidation and malaise. Acnologia made no effort to deny that he was highly arrogant and a big narcissist. This entwined with the immense strength that he possessed, must be the source of that aura which made people contemplate twice before approaching him. This also held truth in the case of the gathered civilians. Initially, they had planned to lift him up and celebrate the victory. But as they got near him, this aforementioned aura that he gave out, made them think otherwise.

"Thank you for everything son." The old village chief was the one who finally came up. He had his adopted daughter along with him, whom he carried on his back. His face showed massive joy and his spirits appeared uplifted than when they saw him the first time. "If you hadn't come, God only knows what would have happened."

"Hmphh." The dragon king scoffed in reply. He shot a glance towards the girl and then looked away from the scene.

"Irina, say something." Arlo Brown directed at his daughter, while also having a loving smile on his lips. "You were the one who found him, weren't you?"

The girl's facial expression remained the same. It showed fear and sadness. "Thank you for everything." She mumbled out a few words of gratitude.

"You have to excuse her." The village chief resumed in an apologetic tone. "She twisted her angle when she was running and so…"

Acnologia failed to listen to it any further as he was lost in his own thoughts. It was evident she had lied about her injuries not to showcase him in a bad light. It also explained why she was hesitant to speak with him. He had tried to kill her back then. To her, he would always be a hostile someone, no matter what he accomplished after coming back. The dragon slayer smirked to himself, hiding the turbulent thoughts that originated within him. In that moment back then, he let his human emotions take control over him. He showed weakness, something he had no plans to show again. Again, now in this moment, he did what he always did when such complex thoughts crept up inside him. He just pushed it aside never bothering to contemplate any more on the matter. But still, he wouldn't deny one truth. Somehow, his heart felt much calmer mow.

The tension that the denizens of Onyx felt around him started to dissipate slowly. Many voices could be heard from the gathering praising him for his strength and thanking him for saving their lives. Even a small discussion was started based on his exploits, with people taking sides. But the person who was the subject of all this remained deaf to everything. He did not care for praises or words of gratitude. This day had given him a lot to think about.

"Pay heed villager." Acnologia spoke with authority, his sight locked on to the village chief. This made the entire round of discussions come to an immediate halt. The attention of everyone present shifted towards the dragon king who remained unfazed by everything that happened.

"Until they arrive, I will stay here at this place." His voice was laced with decadence and there was a tinge of a threatening tone seeped in it. "Ingrain this into your minds. I am not to be spoken to, or approached, no matter what, unless it involves something of extreme relevance."

The people around him nodded in acknowledgement which he made no effort to look upon. Wrapping his long cloak around his figure, Acnologia walked towards the church in the centre and took his seat on the stairs leading upto the entrance.

No one made any endeavour to question him on his announcement. Their eyes simply traced his figure as he moved towards the church. This eerie silence prevailed for a short while before it was broken by the bustle of noises as before, discussing about everything they had witnessed earlier. After some more time had passed, the entire atmosphere retook the same joyful nature it had after, Acnologia had killed every last grimm. Many still shot glances to the dragon slayer who sat away from all the happenings. But all of them had come to the conclusion that he was indeed a strange personality and it was in the best interest to heed what instructions were put forth by him. Any fears they had also dispelled after they had witnessed his strength. They put full faith in him that, if another attack ensued he would surely protect them. 

X-X

"Are these the ruins you mentioned earlier?" Itachi turned towards the hunter siblings who both nodded in the affirmative. He then moved from where he was standing and went upto the front, standing side by side with Zack.

The four of them stood about two hundred metres from the, so called lair of the ss class. Along the way, they had to dispatch off countless grimm whose number increased as they approached the dwelling of the ss class. The ruins resembled a decimated place of worship. The central altar was still intact but the pillars around it had already began to crumble. A large gaping hole which stood out at the right side, gave away the location of Zoroax.

"Zack." The Uchiha motioned towards the ex-soldier to get ready for a big fight. "I need you at your finest to beat it. Judging from how old it is, it is surely bound to be powerful and maybe the strongest enemy we are yet to face."

"I got your back caps." Zack retorted in is usual cheery tone, unsheathing Honour off his back. "Let's get this over with already."

"Do not get overconfident now." Itachi laid a hand on his shoulders requesting him to calm down. The Uchiha then unsheathed his own weapons and shifted his attention towards Dom and Brady who were behind him.

"Lower class grimm from the area seems to be attracted towards its presence." He instructed in a calm and collected tone. "I want the both of you to take care of that problem."

He then turned his glance towards the ruins. "Zack and I will take care of the ss class."

"This is an ss…' Dom began but was immediately halted by his brother who motioned him to heed by Itachi's instructions. He had seen enough to rightfully judge that these two kids were leagues beyond them in skill and experience.

"The both of you have not yet recovered from your needless battle with Zack." The leader of IZAG's voice came through. "To be honest, in your present condition, you will only be a hindrance against the ss class."

The both of the recipients made no effort to reply. They knew what the Uchiha spoke was the truth and there was no denying that fact. In their present condition, they could outclass lower class grimm maybe upto an Ursa major level. Anything beyond that might prove to be fatal.

Itachi and Zack moved closer towards the ruins, leaving Dom and Brady behind to take care of the lower beasts.

"Zack. There is something I want to tell you." The Sharingan user stated as they continued to traverse towards the den of the ss class. "You will be our main offence if it proves to be a really strong enemy." This made Zack stop dead in his tracks and turn towards his captain.

"You okay caps?" The ex-soldier cut in, his voice exuding concern. He had never seen Itachi to be daunted by an enemy. "It's unlike you to say such things." He rested his sword upon his shoulder and put a hand on his hip.

"I had to use the Mangekyo Sharingan earlier in our tussle with the bandits." Itachi raised his guard, his eyes still fixed upon the lair of the ss class, from where slight roars began to originate indicating that the grimm was now aware of their presence and was preparing to attack. "I have already made you aware of the aftereffects of over using it, have I not?"

Zack's face indicated he understood, though he did not voice out his thoughts. If Itachi had to use the mangekyo, he knew what must have happened over there. That put aside his quandaries as to why his _caps_ looked a bit disturbed after returning from the fight. For now, he had no time to mull over it.

"No probs caps. You can count on me." The former soldier assumed his stance and turned towards the ruins, as the roars that had slowly begun to surface, grew much louder.

"Here it comes." The crisp voice of Itachi was heard. "Get ready Zack."

With an ear shattering bellow, the ss class emerged from its den. The entire appearance of the grimm did justice to its label. It resembled a large reptile that stood on its hind legs and was about fifteen feet tall. Its entire body was covered in numerous tiny spikes about a centimetre in length. Along its back, the upper part of its head and throughout its tail, these spikes extended upto about thirty centimetres. Contrary to the other grimm, its eyes glowed a bright red. So bright that it could be mistaken for red flames. The two hands had long claws that extended over a few centimetres in length. The legs were also adorned with claws of equal length. Another striking feature was the strange scent it emitted. This scent was the reason as to why lower class grimm were attracted towards it.

"Really miss G man and Acno in these situations, huh, caps?" A light chuckle escaped the ex-soldier.

Itachi turned towards him and curved his lips on one side, as a reply. "Aim for its soft spots like the neck or the abdomen. And attack only after I give you the signal."

He then proceeded to sheath Shine and Shadow. "It looks like my weapon might prove to be of not much use."

The ss class approached them with surprising pace. Itachi motioned towards Zack to move away from the spot. He himself then charged towards his nemesis. Taking out two shurikens from his pouch, he hurled it at the grimm. It failed to even scratch the monster which continued with its charge. Itachi then continued to lodge kunai knives at it as he closed the gap between them.

When he realized the ss class was fully concentrated on him now, he changed directions and darted towards his right, bringing the ss class along with him. He then leaped onto the branch of a tree and took another set of shurikens and aimed them at its eye.

" _Even its eyes are as tough as its scales."_

Now, after gauging a bit of his opponent, he leaped towards his right again. The grimm too followed suit. Zack who had moved to the side initially, now found himself on the left of the grimm's current position. Patiently, he waited for Itachi to give him the signal.

The leader of IZAG began running ahead of the grimm taunting it to follow him. Zack ran side by side with the ss class, maintaining a distance between it and him. After Itachi was satisfied by the stride he had managed to create between himself and the beast, he abruptly halted and turned towards the ss class.

The Uchiha flipped through several hand signs and took in a deep breath. " **Great Fireball Jutsu.** "

A massive orb of fire shot out from the mouth of the Uchiha towards the reptilian grimm. It impacted right on its forehead but surprisingly did very little damage. But it did succeed in creating an opening as the grimm took a bit of time to regain itself.

" _This might get interesting._ " Itachi mused to himself as he retreated a bit backwards. Ever since he came to this world, there hasn't been any fight that had got his blood pumping. He was aversed to needless fighting but, he could never deny that he got a bit excited when pitted against strong opponents.

Using the opening Itachi had gifted him, Zack slashed at the grimm from behind, only to immediately pull away after noticing his attack failed to pierce its tough scales.

"Its skin is hard as diamond, caps." The ex-soldier yelled out, to which Itachi nodded in acknowledgement. He then leaped through a tree and moved in near Itachi and prepared for the next wave.

Before the two of them could formulate their next attack, the ss class lunged at them with its claws. What took them both by surprise was its speed. Unlike before, its pace had now doubled. For such a large grimm, it carried incredible pace and agility.

The two dodged the attack and leaped towards the hind side of the grimm. Zoroax quickly turned towards its prey and began to hurl numerous spikes at them. This also came as another jolt. None of them expected the beast to have something like this up its arsenal. It felt as if the ss class had begun to get serious.

The spikes came flying at ridiculous speeds. Itachi kept dodging them and blocked a few using his now unsheathed shine and shadow. Zack used Honour to block each and every one of them as they came towards him.

The sharingan user now had a proper idea of how strong is foe was. If he retorted to the Mangekyo, this match would be over in an instant. He could simply burn it to a crisp with the Ameterasu. But he did not want to risk it. He had made a promise to only use the MS in case they had to face an extremely powerful enemy. If he used it for each and every strong enemy, there came the aftereffect of going blind. In this world, there existed no other Uchiha, as far as he was aware of, so the option of a permanent Mangekyo was non-existent.

Itachi released a volley of shurikens using his left hand and then immediately weaved through another set of hand signs. " **Fire Release: Phoenix sage Flower nail Crimson**."

He exhaled fire infused chakra into them coating hem with flames. The flame shurikens collided with the ss class creating a cover of smoke.

Zack went in for another strike which the grimm dodged with little effect. He grit his teeth in frustration at his failure to damage the monster. It waded through the smoke towards the ex-soldier, who dodged in at the last moment by leaping into the air. He then came back on its back with his blade only to experience the same disappointment as earlier.

The beast immediately clawed at him, and Zack almost lost his balance as he dodged it mid-air. Before he regained his footing, another volley of spikes were hurled at him while he was still air bound.

Zack tried to deflect it all but it was to no avail. A few grazed his arms, legs and shoulders. Another barely missed his vitals, as he found only enough time to force it to ricochet from the edge of his blade, preventing it from piercing his gut.

" **Wind Release: Gale** **Palm**." Itachi clasped his hands together to release a powerful gale with collided with the spikes directed at Zack and voided out their force. It gave Zack a moment of respite which he used to dart over to the side.

Itachi rushed at it and skewered at the beast with his weapon. This was done only for the sole purpose of diverting its attention at which he was successful.

The former soldier moved onto the sides creating more space between himself and the battlefield as he saw Itachi preparing to unleash another massive attack. " **Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation**." A massive sea of flames was directed at the ss class, Zoroax. The force generated from the impact forced it a bit backwards and made it loose its balance. Remarkably, this technique which was among the strongest fire techniques in existence failed to cause any major damage to the ss class. It only resulted in generating another opening. Zack utilised this to move towards his captain.

"Caps." He shot out at him. "Stop it with the fire techniques." The tone was of a commanding nature which was highly unlike the ex-soldier.

"Earlier when I attacked it something came to my notice." He resumed in a hurried tone, keeping his guard up. "Its body is hard as a diamond and also generates so much heat as if there is a magma inside. But you have to get close enough to feel it."

He then quickly made an attempt to collect himself. "What I am trying to say is that fire won't have much effect. Try using some water attacks if you have any." A bit of frustration seeped through his voice.

Zack knew Itachi enough, to guess with his eyes closed that the Uchiha would have inferred that fact without him telling so. The reason he did not realize it yet, pointed out to what he deduced early on. Combined with as to why he used the Mangekyo against weak bandits. Surely, he had a little falling out with Gohan and this was weighing on Itachi's mind, rendering him agitated and restless at the moment. This was why the Uchiha experienced trouble in this battle which would have otherwise be settled already. This was putting a limit on the sharingan user's ability to think clearly.

Dom and Brady was watching the matchup with interest as they continued to kill off smaller grimm that were attracted towards Zoroax. Saying, that they were surprised at the happenings would be a massive understatement. It took them all that they had to maintain their sanity and continue warding off the black beasts, after bearing witness to what was transpiring about a few distance further. The influx of grimm towards the area was surprisingly low considering that this area was notorious for its grimm presence. So, it meant that a majority of the hordes were destroyed already, massively scaling down their presence in the area.

Itachi shook his head to show he understood. Somehow, that unforeseen change in tone from Zack stabilized his fortitude. He motioned towards his sword wielding comrade to create some distance between them.

"Alright caps. You're up." Zack moved away from his captain and onto one side as he saw his _caps_ prepare to execute another attack.

The ss class rushed at them with incredible speed. This mixed with its huge weight send light shockwaves through the ground.

" **Water Release: Water dragon Bullet Technique**." Itachi weaved through a large array of hand signs to create a large amount of water that was shaped into the form of a dragon. It rammed into the grimm with considerable force. Since he used it without a source of water, the impact was not as much as he would have liked. Still, it generated enough to push the ss class quite some metres back and knock it down into the ground.

Proving Zack's inference to be true, a massive quantity of steam was generated after the attack hit its target. Unlike the fire techniques, this attack was successful in inflicting ample damage to the ss class.

The ex-soldier was observing that with full attention. "Caps, find anything?" He called out to the Uchiha.

"Aim for its neck." Itachi retorted hastily, immediately shifting away from his position, taking Zack by surprise.

"What?" Zack blurted out unable to comprehend what Itachi was instructing him to do.

Itachi darted towards Zack's location after he confirmed that the grimm won't be re-launching its attack any time soon. Since its body generated a massive amount of heat, the water based technique must have surely caused major internal damage which they were unable to perceive. It was sustained by the inability of the reptilian ss class to regain its footing, like it had successfully accomplished, instantaneously earlier.

"Its neck Zack." The Uchiha pointed towards the ss class. "There is a portion in its neck not protected by any armour. It is only exposed when it elongates its neck after it suffers damage."

"I understand." The ex-soldier took up his stance. The serious Itachi was back. It looked like the gravity of the situation knocked back the Uchiha to his senses. So, Zack made no effort to question him further. All he had to do was follow his instructions by the word.

"I will hit it one more time with the same technique. When I give you the signal, strike at the lowest portion of its neck with all you got."

Zack nodded in reply and again moved a bit further away onto the side. The ex-soldier began to keenly observe the grimm to locate the exact spot his caps had mentioned. He had to move in for the kill at the right moment.

Itachi jumped onto the branch of a tree. Taking out shurikens from his pouch he hurled them at the grimm to get its attention. The ss class recovered from the impact and let out a deafening bellow that send vibrations through the air.

Spotting the one who had managed to injure it, Zoroax rampaged through the ground aiming for the Uchiha. After he realized he was successful in getting the beast's attention, Itachi got back down and began to weave through large amount of hand signs required for his technique.

" **Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique**." Another dragon comprised of water crashed against the ss class producing another massive horde of steam as before.

"Zack now." Itachi bellowed out to his teammate.

"Got it caps." Zack used a nearby tree as footing to position himself for the strike. He had gauged where exactly he was tasked to strike at beforehand, knowing that the steam would act as a deterrent to his visibility. Leaping into the air he dived in amidst the steam and slashed with full force at his intended target.

A deafening roar was heard as the decapitated head of the legendary ss class fell onto the floor. Its lifeless body zig sagged for a brief moment before it collapsed onto the front. The ex-soldier pierced through the cut off portion of the head to confirm the elimination of his target. Zack heaved a deep sigh after the conclusion of that ordeal. "We did it caps." He darted towards the Uchiha and demanded a fist bump, which he received after a short while.

"That was an interesting battle." Itachi stated as he brushed off the sweat from his forehead exasperating in relief.

The hunter siblings quickly dispatched off the two beowolves, and moved towards the duo, where Zack was still going on about the fight.

"I can't believe Zoroax is dead." A few tears unknowingly trickled down the cheeks of the elder sibling while his movements appeared to slow down. "After dedicating our entire life for killing the bastard, you kids did it with ease."

His joy knew no bounds and this surface in his voice and his countenance. "I honestly can't believe it. I wanted to kill the bastard myself but somehow this also feels good."

"Thanks a bunch Zack and Itachi. We couldn't have done it without you." Dom embraced the duo in a tight hug much to the annoyance of them both.

"Well, not being a spoilsport here." Zack retuned the gesture. "But you guys practically did nothing." He shot back in a mocking tone earning a chuckle from Itachi and a goofy grin from the culprit.

"I want the both of you to do something for us as a sign of gratitude." Itachi began in a collected tone before any of the others could add anything further into the conversation. "I want the both of you to keep this between us. I am fine with it, if you want to take the credit for slaying the ss class. But do not mention you ever encountered us."

Both siblings assented that they understood. "We are not taking credit for anything. Words can't describe how overjoyed we are now that this bastard is dead." Brady extended his hand towards the Uchiha who accepted the gesture and shook it. "We have a deal Itachi. We won't spill anything to anyone. And also we won't pester you about anything."

The both of them had done something, he and his little brother had dreamt of as kids. Brady was being totally honest when he mentioned words could never express his gratitude. There was so much more he wanted to convey but seeing as how secretive Itachi was and also how disinterested he was at the moment, he decided to keep his mouth shut, while also motioning towards his younger sibling to do the same. Any queries he wanted to clear had to wait until it was the right time. At the moment the best expression of gratitude he could muster up was to maintain his silence until spoken to.

"Maybe we could meet up sometimes and have a little drink… em I mean have some dinner or something." This earned an approving smile from all the three others present. Zack too put out his hands and shook the hands of the siblings.

"And kid." Dom remarked as he put an arm across his shoulder. "I said earlier that I have never heard of you and your team."

He paused for a brief moment to scratch his cheek before resuming with conviction. "I am damn sure we are going to hear a lot more about you guys in the future. You lot are gonna turn up to be legendary hunters. That I am sure off."

The ex-soldier gave an approving grin as he scratched the back of his head, blushing slightly. "You bet we are. Maybe I'll give you my autograph then."

Dom laughed out loud. "I like you kid. I really do."

"Caps, I almost forgot." The ex-soldier turned to the Uchiha with stars in his eyes. "I have something galactically, uber, super cool to tell you."

Itachi's face emblazoned how much detached he was at the moment. He hummed in reply but truth be told he barely heard anything beyond the last line Brady had spoken.

"Both of you." He turned to the hunter siblings with a sharp tone interrupting Zack before he revealed what this _uber cool thing was_. "I want you to follow us. There were a few kids whom the bandits had kidnapped. They were unconscious when we encountered them and so I have left one of my friends to watch over them. I need you aid in getting them to safety." Itachi was back to being serious again. He had no time to squander celebrating the victory against the ss class. There were more pressing matters at hand that required his attention. Motioning the rest to follow him, he prepared to move towards where Gohan was currently present, leaving the rest gaping at this sudden change in the atmosphere. After a very brief while, they too began to convoy him.

X-X

"Yo G man." Zack called out to Gohan as he ran towards him. "Tell me you missed me. Tell me now." He leaped onto him almost strangling Gohan in a hug.

"Yes I missed you Zacky." The demi saiyan forced the ex-soldier's arms off of him with a gentle smile spread across his face.

But, Zack had no intention of ceasing his pestering of the half saiyan. He continued to shake him violently and kept repeating his question. The children who were witnesses to this could only laugh at the antics of the ex-soldier. "Tell me how much you missed me? Tell me."

Itachi and the others came up towards the duo. "We will carry the children back to the village." He started on his instructions occasionally glancing towards the saiyan hybrid and also scanning the area. It seemed Gohan had buried the bodies of all the people he had killed. "Most of the grim in the area have been cleared out. So, that puts aside the need for engaging in combat midway."

The former soldier could smell blood when he entered the vicinity. It came as no surprise to him as he had more or less deduced what might have transpired over here. Still, what Itachi did was uncalled for. He knew Gohan's mind-set and that the demi saiyan could never turn into a killer. Exposing him to the other side of Itachi would really put a dent in their relation. The Uchiha should have brought him along instead of Gohan. He himself was no saint. He would kill if the situation demanded it and if he encountered the bandits, he too would have shown them no mercy. He hated seeing Gohan all depressed like this. Itachi had a habit of telling what he felt directly to people's faces. So, he must have surely said something to make the demi saiyan all depressed like this. Whatever he said might have been the truth, as Itachi was not someone who would lie to a close friend. Still, Zack felt he could have held back. At the moment, his top priority was getting the demi saiyan, all cheerful again.

Zack let go off the saiyan hybrid and walked towards the kids who were present. "Don't worry." He ruffled the hair of some of the kids. "We will take you home soon."

"Thank You big brother." Some answered back while all of them had an omnipresent beam on their faces.

"Itachi. Are you still mad about earlier?" Gohan went upto the Uchiha after hesitating for a moment.

"Not at all." Itachi cut him before he continued further. "It was all my fault Gohan. I sincerely apologize for it." His tone was apologetic and he said those with so much fervour. It was weighing upon his mind since then and he himself was a bit doubtful on whether he should approach Gohan or not. This gesture from the sharingan user took the demi saiyan by surprise while also making him glad inwardly. "I do not wish for it to come in between our friendship."

"He, he. I don't remember ever seeing you like this before." The demi saiyan replied with a sheepish grin and put an arm around his raven haired comrade's shoulder. "Let's put it behind us Itachi. You can buy me dinner and it's all good."

"Are you trying to make me go bankrupt?" The Uchiha shot back gaining a laugh from the other.

Zack was still engaged in small talks with the children, along with the hunter siblings. Though he pretended to remain oblivious, his lips unknowingly curved into a wide grin during the exchange between his two friends.

" _Glad they worked things out._ " He ex-soldier mused happily to himself, though he understood it would take some time before the scars completely healed up.

X-X

Acnologia rested his back against the pillar with his both eyes closed. The wait for their return had been too long for his liking and so he decided to keep himself entertained by trying to locate any Ethernano in the area. He had been at it for some time but not a trace was to be found after that last time. It never bothered him for centuries but now, this solitude away from his comrades slightly unsettled him.

" _Is this also a part of being human?"_ He couldn't help snicker at himself. " _Ridiculous._ "

The dragon slayer abruptly opened his eyes when he sensed the village chief approach him with his adopted daughter. He shot at them with a death glare but it failed to intimidate the two of them. Chagrined from the failure of his attempt, he leaned back again and ceased to allude them.

"Sorry to bother you, son." The village chief, Arlo Brown began in a shaky tone. A bit of hesitation seeped through in his voice. Acnologia had missed it, but Arlo was indeed a bit dispirited from the earlier glare though he had put up a brave face.

"But this girl here was adamant in wanting to talk to you." He scratched his head pointing towards his daughter who now stood on the ground holding onto his hand for support. Arlo added nothing more and simply guided Irina and helped her get seated near Acnologia.

"I'll just let her off here." He said meekly to the dragon king. Deep inside, he believed Acnologia would not harm the girls as he was willing to help her when she approached him, though he was unaware of the reality of what had transpired between them earlier.

"And Irina." The village chief patted her head lovingly. "After you have finished telling him, this important matter you wanted to say, just stay here till I come back." He gave her another caring smile and began to move towards the gathering a little further ahead, leaving the two of them alone.

The main character of whom this what about failed to give any sort of response. He continued to glare at them showing how lethargic he was towards them. At the moment, an assemblage of distressing thoughts blurred his mind. So, it was safe to say, he ceased to care.

"I am sorry for behaving like that earlier, Acnologia." The blind girl caught Acnologia's hand by surprise. "Thinking back, I realized you must have been really frustrated fighting all the grimm by yourself and that is why you did those things." 

The dragon king forcibly shoved off her hand off of him. He hated being touched like that, still like before, he could not bring himself to harm her.

"I know you must be mad. But I haven't told anyone anything." She continued shaking her head, in a compunctious tone. "It was all my fault. So please forgive me. Sorry…"

"How can you surrender your pride like this?" The dragon slayer cut her with his cold tone. His face turned sardonic as he tilted his head to gaze upon her. "You make me sick human."

"I…' Her eyes were downcast and the words wouldn't escape her.

"The day you bow down to others is the day you really die. It makes you no better than a walking corpse." His voice was arrogant and harsh. It made the listener flinch slightly and look up at the direction of its origin. "Now, leave. I do not need your apologies or your gratitudes. The reasons that I fight for, have not changed in the slightest."

A pregnant pause ensued. Acnologia returned back to his earlier position, leaving the girl dazed and extremely disappointed.

"I understand." Irina broke the silence that prevailed for some time. Tears that escaped her, began to stream down her pale cheeks. "But, what can a weak, blind girl like me do? I will always be a burden to others."

That statement attracted the attention of the dragon king. He smirked at it before breaking out in a fit of audacious laughter.

"So, you realize how weak and pathetic you are." He began when the laughter had died down.

"I will give you a piece of advice human." Acnologia's grimace was scornful and his voice was laden with contempt. This made it harder to guess whether his words were meant to be encouraging or uttered to disparage the listener. "As long as you are weak, you will always be a burden to everyone. So, learn to stand on your own two legs. No matter what, never bow down your head. And your condition is no defence to prevent you from growing stronger."

His words, queerly had an exhilarating effect on the girl nearby him who continued to maintain her silence. Her countenance disported that truth. Acnologia readjusted the long cloak he wore before continuing, his gaze turned away from her and was fixated onto his front. "Strength is not limited to just the body alone. The strength of the mind is what really determines how strong you really are and how strong you can grow up to be."

The black dragon closed his eyes and leaned back onto the pillar, as a familiar feeling hit him. "If you possess the sheer will to face against your enemies, no matter how strong they are, you can attain the power you require to destroy them." He concluded in a nonchalant tone.

The dragon king floundered to detect, that the words that came out last, really moved the human girl besides him. It set her into a process of deep thought. Oblivious to him, she developed a new sense of respect towards the same person who tried to kill her some time ago. She had forgiven him for that was earlier. It was not in her nature to hold a grudge against someone, especially towards the individual who had helped them in their time of need. She had limited experience with people and absolutely no experience with outsiders and all of this was new to her. Still, no one had spoken to her about her weakness with such conviction. Everyone she knew pitied her and tried to help her but never tried to make her feel saddened about her shortcomings. But, this person had said it straight to her face. He had told her about the reality that, she had to learn to stand up on her own two feet, if she wanted to get by in this world. He had told her never to be hindered by her weakness or to use it as an apology to surrender her pride and get stronger. Irina wiped off the tears from her cheeks and looked up at the direction of dragon slayer with awe and admiration. His words were harsh but they were true. It had aided in instilling immense confidence in her. The wide beam that developed on her face was in accordance with this. 

"It looks like they are here." Acnologia rose up from where he was seated, paying no heed to the human girl beside him. He failed to notice the transformation his words had adjured on her mind.

"Took them long enough." He moved away from that place, before glancing at the girl for a very brief while.

X-X

"It's almost night time. Atleast you could stay the night here." Arlo Brown echoed the sentiments of all the villagers, towards the members of team IZAG plus the hunter siblings. "Please, this is a request. We have already made preparations for dinner." He continued to plead.

'Hey old man. We got no problem staying." Dom remarked as he pressed his shoulders, glancing over to the Alsius prodigies. "Come on Zacky. Ask your friends to stay."

"I agree with them caps. Let's stay the night. We'll leave tomorrow." Zack kick-started his hundredth attempt to force the Uchiha into staying. "Please. Pretty please. Real pretty please."

Itachi rubbed his temples unable to come to a proper decision. Half of him wanted to stay while the other half wanted to leave. He did not want to cause any more trouble to the villagers by forcing them to spend lavishly on hosting them. Other reason was that he was still a bit put off from everything that happened since they came here.

"Please big brother." A few of the children joined in with Zack's effort against the Sharingan user.

"We have nothing else to give you after everything you have done for us." Arlo Brown was adamant not to give in. "Atleast let us treat you to dinner."

"Come on kid." It was now Brady's turn to join in. "It'll be fun. It's a long walk back to the airbase. We'll go back together tomorrow."

"Pretty, pretty, pretty please, caps." Zack's effort at a puppy face invited giggles from a few present. "You're the best captain in the whole world aren't you?"

"Let's stay Itachi." The demi saiyan stated, a small grin making its way across his face. "All of them are looking forward to it." He continued referring to all the villagers plus Zack and the hunter siblings.

"We could stay if you say so." Itachi finally conceded. "I am a bit hungry." He added with a small chuckle.

"Hey." Zack was not pleased. His voice was a bit louder than usual and this got the attention of everyone nearby.

He puffed up his cheeks and pointed his finger at Itachi. "I spent countless hours begging you to stay and you say no."

He turned the direction of his finger towards Gohan. "G-man, tells you a few words and you are like _alright let's stay._ " He laid his hands on his hips. "That's partiality caps. Compete partiality."

"Zack. I never meant it that way." Itachi scratched his cheek, faking an embarrassed grin "You have to und…"

"Tell me what I mean to you Itachi Uchiha." The ex-soldier began to fake crying. "Itachi you cheater. You used me."

The people around them burst out into laughs at seeing his antics. A slight red tinge formed on the Uchiha's face and he started to get annoyed. He began to counter in a bitten down tone. "Zack, you idiot. Atleast think about what nonsense you are spouting out."

"Boo hoo." Zack stuck out his tongue, before he put his hand around Gohan and began to drag him to where dinner was supposed to be served. The hunter siblings followed suit.

A serene feeling overcame the Uchiha as he joined in the people around him laughing at the ex-soldier's antics. In the end it all turned out okay. They were able to extend much needed aid to these people while also were able to strengthen the bonds between them. He informed the villagers about the kids having their auras unlocked, and instructed them to keep the matter hushed for the children's safety.

But, this feeling of blissfulness quickly transmuted into one of slight concern, as a sudden realization occurred to him. " _These poor people. They have no idea what they are getting into._ " He remarked to himself, contemplating about Gohan's infinite eating capacity.

Looking over his shoulder, he noticed Acnologia remained expressionless. "Hey Acno. Let us go join them."

The dragon slayer gave him a stolid look, and began to move towards where the others were present. Itachi waited for Acno to reach up to him, after they had moved a little bit further.

"You did well." The Uchiha gave him an approving glance and wrapped his arms around the dragon slayer's shoulders. "You have my thanks and I apologise if my actions earlier had upset you." His face evinced what he felt inside, which was remorse at doubting him.

"I haven't stooped so low as to have your pity Uchiha." Acnologia shot back in an aggressive tone as he shrugged off Itachi's arms off him. Picking up his pace, he moved on ahead leaving Itachi behind. It helped him mask the blissfulness that had slowly materialized on his visage.

X-X

 _ **Three days later, on the forests near Onyx**_ _ **.**_

"Looks like someone beat us to it." A heavily built teenager about 13 years old stated in a tone which was both sarcastic and penitent.

"I assume you must be seriously pissed." He directed towards a long, blonde haired male about his same age.

"Come on. They got what they deserved, didn't they?" He resumed with the tone of his voice changed completely. Now it was an effort to calm down his long haired friend who appeared terrifyingly angry.

"Shut the hell up." The long blonde haired teenager flinged back, as he crashed his fist into the sidewalls of the warehouse where the bandits had kept the children captive. The force generated was enough to rip a large hole through it, vaporizing all the debris that had formed.

"Come on buddy. We..." He began but was immediately interrupted by a grumpy voice that came from one of the other two of his group.

"Give up. It's completely futile." The speaker paused for a brief moment. "You know how he is when children are involved."

"I ain't speaking to you." The long haired teenager shot him down. "I am still angry about the flowers I was growing" He retorted much to the annoyance of the listener, who crossed his arms and stood with his back rested against the wall.

"It was an accident." He began but muted it down knowing how pointless it was going to be.

"I will never forgive someone who hurts children." The blonde haired teenager slashed across the sidewalls with his bare hands, making a clean cut through it. "Every children in the world deserves to be loved and cherished. No one has the right to destroy their childhood." The anger that was swelling up inside him echoed through the place.

"It's not like they escaped or anything buddy." The fourth teenager who had short, unkempt, black coloured hair, who had maintained his silence till now decided to interfere. "If I were to guess. This seems to be the work of professionals. And on that note, a few professional hunters must had done it." A wide smile spread across his face highlighting the well-defined eyebrows and broad nose that adorned his facial features. Still, it did nothing to calm down the blonde teenager.

"How many times do I have to tell you that it is fruitless?" The same grumpy voice came from behind. "I thought you were more intelligent than that, Uchiha."

The Uchiha scratched his head and turned to the speaker. "It doesn't hurt trying, does it?" He knew how pointless it was to calm down his friend when atrocities against children were involved. The guy had some kind of oath that he would make sure that every child was loved. And a personal vendetta against all who committed transgressions against children.

"I made a promise to that little child in Vacuo that I would find whoever snatched away his younger brother." The blonde haired teenager appeared to have pacified a little. "It took us weeks to locate their base and this happens."

"Hey, come on Buddy." The heavily built teenager put his arm around his shoulder. "It looks like these guys died a slow and painful death like they deserved. Let's just move on. We have a lot of world saving to do, don't we?"

His efforts were having a little effect on the other who took deep breaths to ease his temper. "Do you remember that time we attacked that mansion?" Darting his eyes across the room and eyeing each of his comrades, he continued. "We overlooked the fact that the children might be held captive there itself. So, we killed the scum and left trying to search for the kids." He grit his teeth and hissed. "Only one girl was saved while the rest died. If we had been more careful, we could have saved everybody."

"Don't beat yourself over it." The tall teenager continued with his efforts. "We did all we could."

"Listen up guys." The Uchiha interrupted this exchange. He had enough of this squabble and desperately wanted to put an end to it. "We'll head towards Mistral from here and try to dig more into the illegal drug cartel, which operates in pretence of being a sympathizer for faunus rights."

"So soon. How about our initial plan to stay the night at Onyx."

"We'll just have to cancel that." The Uchiha answered. "Let us just kill all the grimm we encounter in this forest and leave for Mistral at the earliest. I don't want Blondie over here getting anymore restless."

"I comply with Shisui's plan." The same grumpy voice was heard. "This is no reason to digress from our objective." He added indirectly referring towards the present situation.

"And Angeal." He turned towards the raven haired, heavily built teenager. "Knock that blonde out and drag him with you."

X-X

 _ **And that's all from me. Also, I wold be going back and re-updating previous chapters. There won't be much changes just correcting out a few typos and spelling errors.**_

 **That said, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

 **Feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions, at the review section or PM me.**

 **If you deem my story as worth fav/following, go ahead and hit the fav/follow button.**

 **We part now only to meet again the next chapter.**

 **Have a great day all you lovely people out there.**


End file.
